It was an ugly game across the board for the Packers, as the Carolina Panthers came to town in Week 9 and managed to muck up the game enough to give themselves a shot at an upset with a last-second field goal. They converted that kick, sending Green Bay to its second such loss this season by an ugly 16-13 count—a game frustratingly reminiscent of the Week 3 loss in Cleveland.
But by far, the story of the game was not so much what happened on the scoreboard, but what occurred early in the third quarter. Breakout star tight end Tucker Kraft went down with a knee injury after awkwardly running into teammate Sean Rhyan on a running play. Initially, there was hope that the injury might not be too serious—perhaps just a minor MCL sprain that could see Kraft back on the field within a week or two.
That hope faded when coach Matt LaFleur took the podium after the game. While he did not officially specify the injury, LaFleur made it clear there isn’t much optimism in the Packers’ locker room about Kraft’s condition. “Yeah, it doesn’t look good,” LaFleur said.
### Packers Were Dogged by Injuries to Tucker Kraft, Others in Week 9
Kraft has been brilliant this season, both as a pass-catcher and a leader. He entered the game with 30 catches and 469 yards on the season, plus six touchdowns. He ranked as the No. 3 tight end in the NFL in yardage and No. 2 in touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Kraft is the No. 2 tight end among players with at least 250 snaps this season, behind only Detroit’s Sam LaPorta.
LaFleur held out hope that the Packers can replicate Kraft’s production with backups Luke Musgrave and John FitzGerald. Musgrave did make three catches for 34 yards—including a key 21-yard play on the day.
Injuries plagued the Packers throughout the game, as wide receiver Matthew Golden also suffered an injury, and Christian Watson was sent briefly to the blue tent. Now, it’ll be up to Musgrave to hold his own.
“He is gonna have to be, both him and Fitz,” LaFleur said. “It’s unfortunate because more than anything I know how much Tuck means to us, and he’s a big part of our team, a great leader. It’s hard to replace that but that happens with teams across the league. Unfortunately, we had a lot guys in and out of the lineup today, with MG and Christian was down for a minute. But it’s one of those things that you’ve got to be able to overcome.”
### Tucker Kraft ‘Means a Lot’
Quarterback Jordan Love has been the biggest beneficiary of Kraft’s breakout season, and he conceded that things will be difficult for the Packers without him.
“Tuck means a lot, you know his leadership role and then I think his play on the field,” Love said. “He’s playing at a high level. We’ll see what the injury is but not having him out there for the rest of the game was huge. It’s one of those situations, though, where it is next man up. We gotta find ways to keep playing at a high level without him out there.”
### Packers Show Faith in Luke Musgrave
Both LaFleur and Love offered votes of confidence for Musgrave, who was a second-round pick in 2023 but has yet to flash his full potential with the Packers.
“It’s gonna be tough but you’ve just got to attack it head on,” LaFleur said. “We have to do a great job of putting our guys in good positions to showcase what they can do. Luke has played a ton of ball for us and he is going to get more of an opportunity.”
Added Love: “Very comfortable with Luke. He has had his fair share of opportunities too, Luke has played a lot of ball. He made some big-time plays today. Luke has played a lot of ball, got a lot of confidence in him.”
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/green-bay-packers/matt-lafleur-gives-troubling-update-on-tucker-kraft/