HC Matt LaFleur requests the NFL to review an “MMA-style” hit that sent Christian Watson to the hospital and ended his season early — video of the moment ignites fans

Green Bay, Wisconsin – In the aftermath of Green Bay’s painful Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos, head coach Matt LaFleur addressed a moment that went far beyond the scoreboard: the injury to wide receiver Christian Watson, who had only recently returned after a long and grueling recovery.

Watson, who missed the first half of the 2025 season while rehabbing a torn ACL suffered late last year, had finally worked his way back onto the field and into rhythm. For the Packers, his return was viewed as a crucial boost to the offense at the most important stretch of the season.

Instead, his night ended abruptly.

The injury occurred in the third quarter on a deep throw from Jordan Love. As Watson came down from the catch attempt, he absorbed a violent collision that sent him hard into the turf. He immediately grabbed his upper body and was unable to continue. Medical staff escorted him to the locker room before he was transported to a Denver-area hospital for further evaluation, where he underwent precautionary imaging.

After the game, LaFleur’s frustration was clear.

“Christian just got back,” LaFleur said. “He worked his tail off to get himself healthy enough to be out there again, and then to see his night end like that is tough. It’s really tough on him, and it’s tough on all of us.”

LaFleur emphasized that Watson’s hospital trip was taken seriously enough that the receiver was unable to travel back to Green Bay with the team — a detail that underscored how alarming the situation was in real time.

Its assualt hes now out for the season NFL SEASON OVER because of the Officials not calling fouls Christian Watson was taken to the hospital and wasn't on the plane to go back to Green bay Payton's been suspended for a year without pay for bounty gate hes a piece of garbage https://t.co/nweA2S3N1T

— TCL (@turfking34) December 15, 2025

“When a guy can’t even get on the plane with his teammates, that tells you everything about how concerned we were,” LaFleur added. “That’s not something you ever want to see, especially with a player who’s just coming back from a major injury.”

While early reports indicate Watson avoided a long-term setback, the emotional impact of the moment lingered in the Packers’ locker room. Watson had appeared in only his eighth game of the season, trying to rebuild momentum after months away from football.

“For a player like Christian, it’s not just physical,” LaFleur said. “There’s a mental side to coming back, trusting your body again. He was doing that. And then something like this happens. That’s the hardest part.”

It’s just unreal how unlucky Christian Watson and these Packers receivers in general are with injuries in the Jordan Love-LaFleur era.

Just…damn…unreal
🎥 @TWDTV1 pic.twitter.com/yF36xU6h02

— Andrew Jerell Jones, Luke 1:37 (BlueSky too now) (@sluggahjells) December 14, 2025

The Packers are expected to monitor Watson closely throughout the week ahead of their divisional matchup with the Chicago Bears. For now, LaFleur made it clear that the focus remains on the player — not the standings.

“At the end of the day,” he said, “this game is about people. And when someone who’s fought that hard gets knocked out of a game like that, it hits you.”

For Green Bay, Watson’s early exit became another painful chapter in a night already defined by injuries — and a reminder of how fragile momentum can be in the NFL.