The Packers’ 45-27 rout of the Patriots had plenty of fireworks, but Tucker Kraft barely got a piece of the action.
Jordan Love lit it up, Christian Watson piled up 171 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Matthew Golden added 164 yards and a score of his own. Kraft, meanwhile, finished with just one catch for one yard. For a player who flashed like one of the league’s best tight ends a year ago, that kind of line stands out.
Still, this quiet outing doesn’t look like a red flag. Kraft’s overall numbers remain solid at 351 receiving yards and three touchdown catches, even if he hasn’t always had the same kind of weekly presence fans got used to last season. Sunday was the low point of his 2026 campaign, but it also came in a game where Green Bay leaned hard into its receivers.
That’s the key here: Watson and Golden have been so dynamic that Kraft’s role has naturally shifted. He hasn’t sulked through it, either. The effort has stayed high, the dirty work is still there, and his impact on winning hasn’t disappeared just because the target count has dipped.
The tape backs that up. There’s no sign of last year’s injury holding him back, and Kraft still looks sharp in the blocking game and physical when the ball does come his way.
The concern would be different if there were visible regression in his movement or toughness. There isn’t.
What’s happening instead is pretty straightforward. Love is attacking downfield, Watson and Golden are making explosive plays, and Kraft is operating in a smaller slice of the offense for now. That can lead to a game like Sunday’s.
And when defenses start selling out to stop the deep shots, the middle of the field should open back up. At that point, Kraft can slide right back into the kind of role that makes him such a dangerous part of this passing game. Matt LaFleur has the offense in a strong spot, and there’s no reason to panic over one quiet afternoon from the tight end.
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Packers Face One Big Deadline Question In Tight NFC North Race
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That decision leaves Green Bay with a familiar kind of pressure in a division where every move gets magnified, especially with the standings so tight. The Packers will keep leaning on internal development and whatever help is already on the way, with the next few weeks shaping up as a test of whether patience can hold up against the kind of deadline aggression their rivals showed. [Read more 🡒]