The Green Bay Packers lost much more than just a game on Sunday afternoon. Star tight end Tucker Kraft, who was in the midst of a career year, had to be helped off the field early in the 16-13 home loss to the Carolina Panthers.
While the extent of the injury has yet to be confirmed, most reports agree that the team fears Kraft has suffered a torn ACL. That would rule him out for the remainder of the season, and it would be a brutal break for Matt LaFleur's team.
Josh Jacobs Says Tucker Kraft's Injury Is a 'Heavy Blow'
With that in mind, star running back Josh Jacobs addressed the media with a long face and a heavy heart. When asked about Tucker, he gushed about him not only as a player but also as a person and a teammate:
"Yeah, I mean, it's tough," Jacobs said, per Lily Zhao of FOX 6 Now. "In my opinion, he's a top tight end in the NFL. I mean, not even the stats, man, but the type of man he is and the way he carries himself and the way he supports the team and the way he pushes everybody every day. You know, like I said, that's a heavy blow. I'm praying for him and, hopefully, it's not as bad as it looks."
The Packers have plenty of weapons in the passing game, but Kraft has become one of Jordan Love's most reliable pass-catchers, especially in the end zone. While Green Bay has multiple wide receivers to lean on in the passing game, Kraft was its only stud at the tight end position.
Luke Musgrave should be the next man up, but he only had three receptions on as many targets for 34 yards in the loss. Kraft had been Love's security blanket in crucial third-down conversions, and his ability to pick up yards after the catch was second to none.
Kraft left the game with just two receptions on three targets for 20 receiving yards. For the season, he had 32 catches on 44 targets for 489 yards and a team-high six touchdowns. That type of production will be tough to replace.
The trade deadline is just hours away, and the Packers might want to try to make a move for David Njoku or Chig Okonkwo if they don't trust Musgrave. Still, this will be a tough emotional blow to recover from ahead of Monday's high-flying matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.