Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed seems to be in good spirits after suffering a scary neck injury during Week 2’s win over the New York Jets.
Reed was injured on the second play of the Packers’ opening drive when he took a hit to the head and neck area after making a 4-yard reception and collapsed to the field. Medical staff attended to him for several minutes before placing him on a backboard with a strap stabilizing his neck and carting him off the field and to the hospital.
After the game, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters that Reed would need to stay overnight in the hospital and would not travel home with the rest of the team.
“That was obviously a very scary deal,” LaFleur said after his team’s 20-17 overtime win over the Jets.
Reed gave his own update — presumably from a hospital bed — following the game, though, reassuring fans about his condition on social media amid widespread concern.
“Doing much better, appreciate all the prayers and support,” Reed posted Sunday night on X.
Jayden Reed May Have Dodged Worst-Case Scenario
The Packers won’t know how badly Reed injured his neck until doctors do more testing in the coming hours and days, but his hospital update seems to suggest that he managed to avoid the worst-case outcomes.
The brutal injury scene in Sunday’s game gave way to concerns for Reed’s long-term health. He lowered his head into contact and took a shot to a section of his body that could have — and may still have — damaged his spine.
Spinal and cervical injuries have ended several NFL careers in the past, including that of former Packers wide receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer Sterling Sharpe. The No. 7 overall pick in the 1988 NFL draft, Sharpe made the Pro Bowl in five of his first seven seasons in the league before a neck injury forced him into early retirement.
Fortunately, LaFleur said Reed had movement in “all of his extremities” at the hospital after his neck injury. That’s an encouraging sign when paired with Reed’s good spirits.
Even so, the Packers could have a tense next few days as they gain clarity on Reed’s injury outlook as well as figure out what to do about some of the other significant injuries that they sustained against the Jets in Week 2.
Packers WR Jayden Reed Gives Update After Scary Injury vs. Jets