Talk about a nightmare situation.
Not only did the Green Bay Packers put in arguably their worst performance of the season, falling 16-13 at home to the two-touchdown underdog Carolina Panthers, but they also lost the focal point of their offense.
Star tight end Tucker Kraft suffered a knee injury after a collision with his own offensive lineman. He had to be carted off and wouldn't return to the game.
"Yeah, it doesn't look good," said LaFleur.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the fear is that Kraft tore his ACL.
Matt LaFleur delivers a nightmare update on Tucker Kraft
LaFleur didn't elaborate, but he didn't need to. If it looked like Kraft had avoided a significant injury, he likely would've said as much. Instead, his downbeat response and selection of words say it all. We don't want to speculate, but it sure doesn't sound like Kraft will play again this season.
The loss is one thing. The Packers can overcome that. But they couldn't afford to lose Kraft for any significant length of time, as he was on an All-Pro trajectory before the injury.
It's a huge blow to the Packers' championship dreams. Kraft is a mismatch. He's too strong for defensive backs and too athletic for many linebackers, making him an impossible chess piece to cover. Without him, the entire calculus changes on offense.
Green Bay will need third-year Luke Musgrave, selected a round earlier than Kraft, to step up. He's a different style of tight end and won't offer the same yards-after-catch production, but he provides plenty of speed and athleticism.
But this one hurts. Kraft was just reaching his superstar potential and looked on track for an All-Pro season. LaFleur delivered a nightmare update, and it will directly impact the entire season.
The Packers need to bounce back after an awful afternoon, and one that could have significantly impacted their season.