The Green Bay Packers community has reason to fear that it might never get prime Tucker Kraft back again. The tight end suffered a season-ending ACL tear during Green Bay’s 16-13 loss against the Carolina Panthers in Week 9.
Not many players have returned to top form after an ACL injury, and Packers linebacker Micah Parsons is well aware of the gravity of Kraft’s situation.
Packers LB Micah Parsons Emotional About Tucker Kraft’s ACL Injury
Parsons posted an Instagram story on Monday, expressing his feelings toward his tight end teammate’s devastating injury. He uploaded a photo of himself standing between quarterback Jordan Love and Kraft, captioning the post with a broken heart, an angry emoji, and a sad face.
“💔😡😢”
Kraft suffered the injury upon contact with a teammate during a 15-yard run by running back Josh Jacobs early in the third quarter. Kraft was helped off the field before it was confirmed to be an ACL tear. He caught two balls for 20 yards against the Panthers, and the Packers struggled in his absence. While they recorded 369 yards of offense on the day, it didn’t produce much on the scoreboard.
Carolina’s consistency in the run game, featuring a 130-yard, two-score performance by running back Rico Dowdle, ended up being the deciding factor.
Green Bay will miss having one of the top tight ends in pro football at its disposal for the rest of the season. They have a heavy schedule ahead, starting with the Philadelphia Eagles, who are ranked 11th on PFSN’s Offensive Impact metric.
With their bye week way behind them, there will be no rest as the team still has to face the Chicago Bears twice, the Detroit Lions on the road, the Minnesota Vikings, the Denver Broncos, and the Baltimore Ravens to end the regular season.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has a tall task ahead in scheming to compensate for Kraft’s lost production. The tight end has been a problem for defenses and a dream for his fantasy football owners.
Ahead of the Panthers game, there were only two games this season in which Kraft hadn’t caught at least one touchdown pass. He put up two games of over 120 receiving yards, which included a 143-yard, two-touchdown showing in the Packers’ win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8.
Time will tell how the season pans out for Green Bay without the tight end.