The Green Bay Packers got the win they needed in Week 2, but Tucker Kraft wasn’t interested in turning it into a celebration tour.
After Green Bay’s 20-17 overtime victory over the New York Jets, the tight end said, “We can’t let a win mask our problems.” It was a blunt line, and it landed because it matched what plenty of Packers fans were already seeing: the result was there, but the clean football wasn’t.
That’s the tension hanging over Green Bay right now. The Packers escaped with a comeback win, but the performance still left plenty of questions behind.
The weather played a role in how the game unfolded, and the Jets proved to be a tougher test than the record might suggest. Even so, the issues that surfaced late in Week 1 and carried into this one are hard to ignore.
Kraft’s message cut through the noise because it pointed straight at the bigger picture. Green Bay has execution problems in more than one phase, and a single win isn’t enough to cover them up. If the Packers want to make a deep run, there’s work to do - and plenty of it.
That’s why Week 3 feels like an important chance to reset. Atlanta is next, and the Falcons have looked very beatable through the first two weeks of the season. On paper, it looks like the kind of game that can help the Packers clean things up and get back on track.
Kraft’s willingness to speak so directly also says something about why Green Bay valued him so highly when it handed him a top-dollar extension coming off a season-ending injury a year ago. The production has been slow so far, but the Packers still have real value in his presence, his leadership, and the physical edge he brings.
For Green Bay, the bigger takeaway is simple: this was a step forward, not a finished product. The Packers moved from a late-game collapse in Week 1 to an overtime comeback in Week 2, and that matters. But Kraft made the standard clear, and he made it clear that the bar still isn’t being met.
The next challenge is seeing how the team responds on a short week. The win was ugly, but it was still a move in the right direction. Now the Packers have to prove they can build on it instead of letting it hide the problems underneath.
In Other News...
Packers May Have Found Pass Rush Help At The Perfect Time
The pass rush has been one of Green Bays most watched areas early this season, and rookie edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton has started to give the defense a timely boost. Against the Jets, he put together a disruptive afternoon with six tackles, half a sack and two quarterback hits, the kind of activity that shows up on the stat sheet and in the pressure Washington? No, in the pressure he helped create on the opposing quarterback.
For a player taken 120th in the draft, that kind of early production is notable, especially when hes already ranking 15th among edge defenders in pass-rush win rate after two games. The Packers are always looking for help up front, and Dennis-Sutton has at least opened the door to a bigger role by outplaying several rookies selected ahead of him. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Secondary Just Lost Its Biggest Safety Net Before Packers Game
The Falcons defense took a significant hit this week when cornerback A.J. Terrell was placed on injured reserve after suffering a groin injury in a recent game. His absence comes with a real timing issue for Atlanta, too, because he now has to sit out at least four games, putting Week 7 as the earliest possible return. For a secondary that leans on him as its top coverage option, the loss changes the look of the group heading into a matchup that already had plenty of attention.
Atlanta filled the open roster spot by promoting defensive lineman Zach Harrison from the practice squad, but that move does not replace what Terrell gives the back end. For the Packers, it is the kind of development that can alter how a defense chooses to play on the perimeter and in the middle of the field, especially against an opponent that no longer has its biggest safety net available. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Face A Receiver Problem Bigger Than Week 3
Jayden Reeds injury has turned a promising early-season stretch into a far more uneasy stretch for the Packers, with the receiver leaving Sundays game against the Jets on a stretcher after a neck injury. Matt LaFleur said Reed is back in Green Bay and going through tests, but the team still does not have a recovery timeline, which leaves Green Bay trying to steady its offense without one of its most dynamic targets.
The immediate concern is Week 3 against the Falcons, where Reed is expected to miss the game and the Packers may have to adjust on the fly. Beyond that, the bigger issue is how long Green Bay could be without him, because this is the kind of injury that can ripple through a passing game well past one Sunday. [Read more 🡒]