Confirmation arrived on Monday, and it stings. Tests showed Tucker Kraft tore his ACL, ending the tight end’s season just as Green Bay needs steadiness on offense. The loss to Carolina highlighted what Jordan Love later called inconsistency, noting that penalties and turnovers keep undercutting good stretches.
With Kraft shelved, the onus shifts to Luke Musgrave, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, and Matthew Golden to soak up targets and keep the chains moving while the run game finds rhythm again.
Here is the bigger problem that Sunday laid bare, and why Kraft’s absence magnifies it. Against Cleveland-style split safeties and the soft shells that have spread across the league, Green Bay still pushed the ball, with Love averaging 8.1 air yards per attempt when the head coach wanted more patience.
Matt LaFleur said the offense pressed for explosives and “you can’t chase it” when they are not there. The Chiefs fought this exact battle in 2021 and 2022 by embracing boring, mistake-free attrition. The Packers are not built for that right now, and Kraft was their best shortcut.
Next Gen Stats shows only two Packers skill players with more than 20 yards after the catch over expectation this season, Josh Jacobs and Kraft. Kraft has 109 YACOE on his own; the rest of the roster has 111 combined. Take that out of the scheme, and those nine, ten, twelve play drives LaFleur referenced become even harder to finish.
The ground game is not bailing them out either. Jacobs sits 29 rushing yards under expectation, with Emanuel Wilson and Jayden Reed’s gadget looks also below expected gains. Green Bay is fourth in run rate over expectation versus two high shells, yet averages just 4.7 yards per carry in those situations, a tick under the 4.9 league baseline.
The Browns' loss fit the pattern, with Love at 1.6 air yards per throw and only 12 YAC over expectation despite 134 YAC in raw totals, while Cleveland lived in split safety looks. This is the friction between philosophy and execution, and it explains why the Packers’ peaks have not become week-to-week dominance, as noticed by ESPN.
Trade chatter surfaced immediately after the diagnosis. CBS Sports floated David Njoku as the obvious external name, but the expectation is Green Bay sits tight, expands Musgrave’s role, and leans on Josh Jacobs and the receivers.
Adam Schefter reported that Cleveland is seeking young talent and does not sound inclined to move Njoku before Tuesday, with local reporting adding that the Browns would rather keep or extend him unless blown away.
None of this kills Green Bay’s ceiling. Health along the offensive line could juice the run game, Musgrave or Golden could emerge as real YAC answers, and Love can speed up his decisions against shells.
Clean games, fewer self-inflicted wounds, and timely red zone execution are still a path to January football. The NFC is open, and the next nine weeks will show whether the Packers adjust or keep swimming against the current.
