Packers Face Devastating Loss as Tucker Kraft Suffers Potential Season‑Ending Injury
The Packers‘ red zone fumble from rookie receiver Savion Williams was not a highlight, nor were the two other red-zone drives that yielded field goals, and neither was the missed field from Brandon McManus or the deep interception by Jordan Love in the third quarter. So much went wrong over the first three quarters of the Packers’ Week 9 showdown with the Panthers at Lambeau Field on Sunday, but the biggest source of angst was what happened off the field.
Namely, the angst came as tight end Tucker Kraft was carted off to the locker room after a knee injury on the opening drive. The Packers can withstand a poor effort against a game Panthers bunch, but a long-term injury to their best offensive playmaker this season is an especially damaging development.
Kraft left the game after an awkward collision with offensive lineman Sean Rhyan on a 15-yard run by Josh Jacobs with 12:32 to go in the third quarter. Kraft had two catches for 20 yards on the day.
Tucker Kraft Subject of Major Concern
There will be testing and further diagnosis yet to come for Kraft, but the early indications weren’t very positive. While doctors who diagnose injuries off replays are obviously limited in their available information, the consensus appeared to be that the best outcome for Kraft is an MCL injury that could see him return relatively soon.
Doctor of physical therapy Jeff Mueller wrote on Twitter/X, “Definite concern on Right MCL sprain. Hoping the angle of impact avoided trauma to his ACL. I’ll be surprised if this doesn’t lead to some missed time.”
Another DPT, Tom Christ, wrote much the same: “His teammate accidentally kicks the outside of his right knee at the exact same time his foot plants and knee is fully extended creating a significant valgus force. Certainly concern for MCL injury, ACL possible too. Let’s hope not though.”
Packers Could Look to Luke Musgrave
Kraft has been a revelation in this, his third NFL season, as he entered the game with 30 catches and 469 yards on the season, plus six touchdowns. He rates No. 3 among tight end in yardage and No. 2 in touchdowns this season. He is ranked the No. 2 tight end among players with at least 250 snaps this season at Pro Football Focus, behind Sam LaPorta of Detroit.
The Packers do have 2023 second-round pick Luke Musgrave on the roster, though he has yet to live up to his billing entering the league and has just six catches for 54 yards this season.
Brian Daboll has curious rationale for conservative field goal call with Giants trying rally
If Brian Daboll had just said that he was defiantly doubling down on embattled kicker Graham Gano, it would’ve been easier to rationalize than the explanation that he offered for attempting a 22-yard field goal.
With the Giants trying to cut into a 13-point second-half deficit, Daboll brought out Gano — who had missed a 45-yard field goal earlier in the game — rather than attempt a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line.
Gano converted, but it changed very little Sunday in a 34-24 loss to the 49ers.
“If it was a certain distance, we would have went for it,” Daboll said. “Made it a 10-point game. That’s the reason why.”
So, 12 feet was too far away to try a run or pass for an extra four points and to make it a one-score game at 20-14. Was 11? Was 10?
Daboll’s decision to kick was more curious because Gano hooked his first field goal wide left late in the first half. It was a gut punch after Brian Burns’ strip-sack caused a fumble to pop into Abdul Carter’s outstretched arms.
“That was, I wouldn’t say the breaker, but you’d love to have points down there,” Daboll said. “Didn’t get it done.”
Of course, Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka could’ve been more aggressive after being handed first-and-10 on the cusp of the red zone with 33 seconds remaining.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. ran for no gain and then Jaxson Dart threw back-to-back short incompletions.
“I don’t think we were playing for three [points] at all,” Dart said. “Plays that were called, I thought they were good plays. We just didn’t execute as players.”
Added left tackle Andrew Thomas, “I don’t make the calls. All I do is execute my job.”
Gano, who has become a lightning rod for Giants fans, then missed as the Giants’ deficit remained at 17-7 going to halftime.
“I hit it really well,” Gano told The Post. “The wind was going left to right. It just didn’t move. Frustrating, for sure. I was expecting to come back right, honestly, but it kept staying straight left.”
Gano returned last week from a four-game stint on injured reserve (groin). He has been injured leading into a game or on the first kick of the game three times in the last three seasons, which has made him a target of ire even though anger easily could be directed at the front office and coaching staff for mismanaging Plan Bs to a 38-year-old kicker.
“Only miss all day — warm-ups and all,” Gano told The Post. “Have to hit that one. My [third] miss in two years.”
The Giants ended up with three points from two possessions inside the 28-yard line on a day when the Jaguars’ Cam Little set an NFL record with a 68-yard field goal.
Did the miss hurt worse on the heels of Burns’ big play?
Broncos HC Sean Payton Issues Clear Notice After Win Over Texans
Sean Payton was not pleased following the
The Broncos had a field goal blocked
It all seemingly pointed to either a coaching or execution issue.
Sean Payton Sends ‘Damning’ Message on Broncos’ Special Teams
Payton met with the media after the hard-fought 18-15 victory. He noted the challenges of the Broncos being without All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II, the adjustments to Texans quarterback
But the team’s special teams snafus and the Texans’ effectiveness irked Payton.
The Denver Post’s Luca Evans called
“We’ll look at that on film, all of that. Without watching it on tape, my concern was just the late subs. It was a little bit sloppy in the kicking game. We’ll get that cleaned up, or we’ll find someone else that can do it,”
“The thing that was troubling me a little bit was, we went into it wanting to play as much of the game on their side of the field. And I felt in the kicking game, we didn’t do enough to leverage the field position battle, and defensively, fortunately, we held up. So, if you really paid attention to the game, I felt like our drives were starting to the far right or left, and their drives were starting more towards midfield. And fortunately, our defense took care of that. “
However, Payton’s ire was not believed to be aimed at special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.
“From what I gather postgame, #Broncos coach Sean Payton was referring to personnel,” The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel reported on X on November 2. “Not STC Darren Rizzi.”
Payton could be seen instructing Broncos kicker Wil Lutz to send the ball the “right through” the uprights, smirking as the player confirmed he received the message. Lutz drilled a 34-yarder to win the game for the Broncos.
Michael Bandy muffed the punt. However, Payton praised him after the game.
He filled in for injured All-Pro Marvin Mims. Mims suffered a concussion late in Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys on another substitution issue.
Payton may not have been talking about Rizzie on Sunday. The Broncos still have plenty of work to do in that phase, getting outgained 147 yards to 106 yards on kick and punt returns in Week 9.
Sean Payton: Monday All ‘About Recovery’
GettyDenver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on against the Tennessee Titans.
Payton and the Broncos are on a short week. Their AFC West rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders, are up next on the docket on “Thursday Night Football.” The coach wants his team to get as healthy as possible for that contest. Moreover, they are being proactive about it.
“Everything about tomorrow is recovery, walkthrough. We’ve learned a little bit more over the years,” Payton said, referencing his time with the Cowboys. “Whatever we did wasn’t right. I think we’ve learned a little bit more about the time from this game, and how we have to get these guys mentally and physically recovered from it. And then, fortunately, we’re playing at home.”
Unfortunately for Payton and the Broncos, they are unlikely to get Surtain back next week.
So, keeping their healthy players fresh is even more critical in his absence. They also escaped this contest without any further personnel losses, which is good news.
