Sunday was a brutal day for the Green Bay Packers. Not only did the Packers lose on a walk-off field goal to the Carolina Panthers, but they also lost their productive tight end Tucker Kraft to a knee injury during the game.
Unfortunately, it has now been reported that Green Bay likely lost Kraft for the remainder of the season. NFL insider Ian Rapoport confirmed that with a report that Kraft is feared to have torn his ACL.
At the time of Rapoport's report, Kraft hadn't had an MRI yet, but the MRI is expected to confirm that the talented tight end will be out for the season. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur echoed a similar sentiment in his postgame press conference, saying Kraft's injury "does not look good."
Packers tight end Tucker Kraft feared to have torn ACL
If Kraft does indeed miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, it would be a brutal blow for him and Green Bay. The third-year tight end has emerged as a consistent receiving option for Jordan Love and the Packers offense, and he was in the middle of the best season of his career.
Catching 30 passes for 469 yards and six touchdowns in his first seven games of the season, Kraft added two receptions for 20 yards before going down on Sunday.
After a rookie season that saw him catch 31 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games, and 50 receptions for 707 yards and seven touchdowns in 17 games during his second season, Kraft was well on his way to career highs.
Now, the veteran tight end will have to turn his attention to the rehab process, as he will certainly want to get back on the field as soon as possible. The Packers, who are now 5-2-1, will have to navigate the rest of the year without their receiving yards leader, as they try to remain at contender status.