Referee Carl Johnson goes down with injury after running into Packers player vs. Lions
In the third quarter of Thursday night’s Packers vs. Lions game, NFL referee Carl Johnson went down and received treatment from the training staff. He appeared to run into a Green Bay player and hit the turf, causing a brief stoppage.
Kingsley Enagbare ran into Johnson after a second-down play with 9:40 to go in the third quarter. He then headed back to the officials’ locker room, and the rest of the referees adjusted their position without the back judge on the field.
As he walked off the field, Johnson was favoring his right shoulder. He later returned after the Lions scored a touchdown to re-take the lead, 24-21, with 5:02 to go in the third quarter.
Carl Johnson is widely respected as one of the top officials in the NFL and became the league’s first full-time referee in 2013. He also served as the vice president of officiating from 2010-12 and has worked three Super Bowls, including Super Bowl LVI in 2022.
Thursday’s game featured a highly anticipated matchup between the Packers and Lions in a crucial NFC North matchup. The division is shaping up to be a tight race as Green Bay, Detroit and the Minnesota Vikings put together impressive seasons through Week 14.
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The strength of the division is why Dan Campbell said the Lions are already preparing like they’re in the playoffs. Last time out, on Thanksgiving, they went down to the wire with the Chicago Bears before sneaking out with the victory. After Thursday’s game against Green Bay, two of Detroit’s final four games will be against division opponents.
As a result, Campbell’s mentality isn’t about waiting until January for the playoffs to start. He’s looking at it as if they start now.
“We’re in playoff football right now,” Campbell said. “That’s where we’re at. We’re in December, and our schedule says that. We play tough opponent after tough opponent, we’ve got another one, we’ve got plenty of them coming up. This is the type of stuff that you live for. And it’s also the stuff that gets you ready for the tournament.”