Thursday Night Football this week will feature two dark-horse contenders for the NFC crown this season. The Green Bay Packers will be hosting the Washington Commanders to kick off Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season. It's a surprisingly competitive matchup, especially for Green Bay fans. No one expected Washington to be part of title conversations this early into their rebuild, yet here they are.
The Commanders are now thinking about how to shut down the Packers on the road. Which player will they need to shut down the most? Is it Jordan Love himself? Josh Jacobs, perhaps, to stifle their run game? Or is it one of their many wide receivers hungry to take that leap to stardom? Or perhaps it's Micah Parsons, their new star pass rusher?
As it turns out, though, the Commanders believe that the X-factor for their matchup plays nearer to the offensive line. According to ESPN's latest report, Washington's defenders believe that tight end Tucker Craft is the one they're keeping an eye on the most.
“The Commanders will be all-in on stopping Jacobs, but tight end Tucker Kraft has the defense's full attention,” the ESPN reports say. “Washington's defensive players feel that he's the full package and will be a big factor in the outcome of the game.”
A third-round pick during the 2023 NFL draft, Kraft had a quiet start to his 2025 season. He hauled in just two passes for 16 yards. However, one of those catches was a touchdown grab that kept the Packers on top against their division rivals. The Commanders will surely look to stop the tight end from getting his way against them, especially in the red zone.
The Packers have an uncharacteristic approach to their passing game. While most teams will feed most of their touches to their star wide receivers, the lack of a true WR1 has forced the Packers to a more egalitarian passing attack. Ten different players got targeted during their Week 1 game, with Kraft getting the second-most looks with four targets. This makes it harder for the Commanders to game plan against them in a way, as they have to account for every receiver on the team.
