Packers receiver Christian Watson, who scored five touchdowns in his first seven games following last year’s torn ACL, was briefly hospitalized after an injury against the Broncos on Sunday. Here’s the latest.

Green Bay Packers receiver Christian Watson lies on the field following an injury during the third quarter at the Broncos. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Green Bay Packers were put through the ringer with a rash of injuries in Sunday’s 34-26 loss to the Denver Broncos.

There is likely a bit of good news, though. A source told Packers On SI that big-play receiver Christian Watson, who had been a key part of Green Bay’s offensive improvement, suffered a shoulder injury and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he’ll be available for Saturday night’s game against the Chicago Bears.

The run on injuries on Sunday started late in the first half, when right tackle Zach Tom went down with a knee injury. With a 23-14 lead in the third quarter, the run on injuries went from looking like the normal attrition of a football game to potentially catastrophic.

Jordan Love loaded up a deep ball to Watson in an attempt to break the game open. Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain Jr. jumped in front of Watson to make a play on the ball and came up with an interception.

In the process, Surtain fell on Watson, who landed awkwardly on his left arm and began writhing in pain as he grabbed his left shoulder.

Watson went back for X-rays and went to a local hospital for further testing. The Packers ruled Watson out for the rest of the game with a chest injury shortly after he left the field.

“They did a CT on him. We’ll have more tomorrow for you,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said.

At the time, LaFleur did not know if Watson was going to travel home with the team. He did, however, return to Green Bay with his teammates. The initial diagnosis of a chest injury probably was related to the pain spreading from the shoulder.

With the catastrophic injury to Micah Parsons on the defensive side of the ball, the Packers could ill afford another big injury to Watson, who has been one of their best players since returning from a torn ACL in late October.

However, the source said the Packers may have dodged a bullet. The source indicated that the injury is more of a day-to-day injury rather than a season-ending one.

Beyond that, the source indicated Watson hopes to play this week as it’s more of a pain-tolerance and range-of-motion issue than structural damage.

Watson’s presence on the offense has been extravagant. He was starting to separate himself as the team’s go-to receiver, and LaFleur was beginning to move him around the formation to get him the ball in different ways.

That was evidenced by Watson’s 43-yard touchdown against the Bears last week, when he bumped inside from the boundary, beat Chauncey Gardner-Johnson off the snap, and ran away from the rest of Chicago’s defense.

Watson scored two touchdowns in that game.

“He’s a dynamic player, and we’ve got to continue to find ways to get him the ball,” LaFleur said after that game. “I’m just really proud of how (after) what happened a year ago vs. the Chicago Bears, and how he’s responded, and how he’s worked to get himself into a spot now where you go out and you see what he can do. I’ve got a lot of love and a lot of respect for Chris Watson.”

You could feel Watson’s impact against the Broncos. With Watson on the field, the Packers scored 23 points and moved the ball with relative ease against one of the league’s top defenses, piling up 251 yards in the first half.

Once Watson left the game, the Packers were only able to muster three points and 111 yards, and really struggled to move the ball through the air.

Not all of that is because of Watson. Losing Tom compromised Green Bay’s ability to protect quarterback Jordan Love.

The reality is Watson has always been a big presence on the field, and the Packers have taken notice of that, even when he’s not getting the ball.

“We’ll see what the injury is, but I think since Christian’s been back from his rehab, he’s done some great things and been that explosive playmaker that we needed,” Love said after Sunday’s game.

“With him going out, I think we still got plenty of depth in that receiver room and other guys that played plenty of ball and can step up and make plays. I think we’ll have no problem filling that void if he’s got to miss time. It’s just one of those things where it’s tough. You want to have all your guys out there and injuries are a part of it, but I think we’ve got plenty of depth in that room and plenty of guys that are playmakers, as well, that we’ll have no problem if he is out.”

With Parsons likely missing the rest of the season with what the Packers are waiting to confirm is a torn ACL, the only path to the Super Bowl is likely going to be through an offensive assault.

Green Bay’s defense was dreadful on Sunday even when Parsons was in the game. Once he left the game, they gave little resistance to Bo Nix and his band of receivers.

Watson is the skeleton key that unlocks that type of offense. The Packers have averaged 27 points in the last five games as Watson was really starting to assert himself in the offense.

“Christian, I don’t know what he’s averaging on his catches, it’s got to be over 20 yards a catch though, it’s pretty impressive,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said on Thursday. “But, yeah, all those guys, they’re very talented in a lot of different ways for sure.”

They are not out of the woods yet, but early indications are giving the Packers a glimmer of hope.