The Green Bay Packers dominated the fourth quarter of Week 8's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, eventually waltzing to a 35-25 victory. This puts the team back at 5-1-1 and alone atop the NFC North with a fairly favorable portion of their schedule ahead of them.
But more importantly, Matt LaFleur and Co. seemingly figured something out that Packers fans have been begging them to do all season. In the past, LaFleur has remained steadfast in his belief about not force-feeding players and utilizing all of Green Bay's offensive weapons.
However, Tucker Kraft was the star of the show on Sunday Night Football, as he put together an unforgettable performance. The third-year tight end hauled in seven passes for 143 yards, the most in the NFL this week so far, and two touchdowns to help carry the Packers to victory.
Matt LaFleur changed his tune by riding Tucker Kraft's hot hand
When asked about Kraft's undeniable performance against the Steelers and if the team was trying to play through him, LaFleur finally said the quiet part out loud.
"We'd be crazy not to. He was a beast. He was a man possessed. You've just got to find ways to get him the ball," said LaFleur.
This is what fans have clamored for the team to do all season, which is to ride the hot hand. Having an incredible diversity of pass-catchers to lean on, in addition to Josh Jacobs, can be a blessing, but there are so many mouths to feed that it often feels like a curse.
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When Jordan Love is dealing at the level he was, however, against a great Pittsburgh defense, no less, the Packers can play through a player, and there will still be plenty of ball to go around. On Sunday, seven players caught three or more passes from Love, five of whom had over 25 receiving yards.
But Mike Tomlin had no answer for Kraft, so LaFleur fully unleashed him. He caught screen passes, dump downs in the flat, wheel routes up the sideline, angle routes, and crossers, and it all worked. The beauty of playing through players sometimes is discovering just how many things they're good at.
The Packers are winning, they're improving, they're getting the most out of so many players, and their head coach is learning valuable lessons along the way. There's not much to be upset about for Green Bay, except for those with a soft spot for Aaron Rodgers.