For an obvious reason, Matt LaFleur may have to call plays a bit differently moving forward: the Packers no longer have the outstanding services of tight end Tucker Kraft.
His absence affects the offense in a multitude of ways. For one thing, Kraft was a go-to target for Jordan Love in just about any situation, racking up 22 first downs on 32 catches and leading the team with 489 receiving yards. Regardless of how those yards are accumulated, that’s a big chunk of production to replace.
How Kraft did accumulate those yards was a pillar of LaFleur’s conservative offensive philosophy. Kraft’s status as a YAC monster obviated the need for riskier downfield throws and still gave Green Bay big play upside. He was the only Packers to record 100 yards receiving in a single game this season, and he did it twice. 70 percent of Kraft’s total yards came after the catch.
After two consecutive losses in which the Packers mustered 20 total points, one with Kraft for part of the game and one without, NFL analyst Mina Kimes called on LaFleur to take a hard look in the mirror about what this offense is truly capable of and what adjustments he will have to make as a playcaller.
Part of the Packers’ issues against the Eagles, Kimes suggested, was that they tried to run the same conservative short game against a defense primed to stop it.
“The offensive line was not holding up, right? But I think he fell into the trap that playcallers sometimes do with bad offensive lines, he simply believed he could run the ball and he couldn’t. That was my feeling. Or it was all short [passes].”
Against Philadelphia’s defense, that is not a recipe for success. “The Eagles are one of the best tackling defenses in the NFL,” Kimes added. “They’re amazing against short passes.”
Josh Jacobs carried 21 times for 74 yards, including a fourth-and-one run the Eagles knew was coming, barking out the play call in the moments before the ball was snapped.
Through the air, Jordan Love went 20-36 for 176 yards. He was also sacked three times, producing an average of four yards per pass play. It wasn’t just the box score, though, influenced as it was by the necessity of longer passes on third and long and the Packers’ trailing game state in the fourth quarter.
Mina Kimes issues Packers brutal reminder, calls on Matt LaFleur to rethink the offense 2 Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) passes the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, November 10, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Eagles won the game, 10-7.Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
According to Kimes, Green Bay relied so heavily on the short passing game as a table setting element of the offense that, in 11 first-half dropbacks on first or second down, Love’s average depth per target was 1.5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. He might as well have been playing with myopia.
There’s a reason the Packers will have an even harder time running that type of offense in the future.
“That’s the other thing. Tucker Kraft’s not there anymore, man. The YAC is no longer on the menu. You got to mix it up.”
Ouch. That one hurts, both for the loss of Kraft as an individual and what it does to the offense as a whole. It’s also something LaFleur needs to hear from the rest of his offensive staff.
Mina Kimes issues Packers brutal reminder, calls on Matt LaFleur to rethink the offense 3 Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur jogs off the field after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, November 10, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Eagles won the game, 10-7.Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Excluding running backs, Romeo Doubs is the next closest receiver in YAC. He has 92 YAC in nine games. Matthew Golden, who missed the Eagles game with a shoulder injury , has 86 YAC in eight games. That’s about it. Jayden Reed accumulated 380 yards after the catch last season, he remains out indefinitely following collarbone and foot surgeries. The Packers need to adjust.
“Until Jayden Reed comes back, that’s not who you are anymore. I think that’s my thing with LaFleur. … It feels to me like he wants to call the offense for a group of players he doesn’t have anymore.”
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving.
There might finally be light at the end of the tunnel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when it comes to injured running back Bucky Irving.
The Buccaneers offense has been without Irving for the last 5 games, since a Week 4 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on September 28 due to a variety of injuries, although a shoulder injury has been of the most concern.
“Possibly big Bucs news,” Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account on Wednesday, November 12. “RB Bucky Irving is participating in the walk thru practice. G Ben Bredeson also working. Irving has not played since Sept. 28 due to foot and shoulder injuries.”
The Buccaneers are 6-3 headed into a brutal pair of road games coming up with a trip to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 11 before heading all the way across the country to face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.
Irving, who rushed for over 1,000 yards as a rookie, has been sorely missed.
While the Buccaneers have made up the slack at wide receiver with Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan out with injuries, it’s been harder to do that with Rachaad White stepping in for Irving.
“Todd Bowles said it was good to see Bucky Irving on the practice field but he was limited and it was just a walk-through,” Buccaneers.com’s Scott Smith wrote on his official X account. “Needs to see Irving in a full-speed practice before making any proclamations about a timetable for his return.”
While Irving’s follow up too a bravura rookie campaign has fallen flat to this point, he has the advantage of playing on a team that’s in first place in the NFC South Division — with a 2-game lead at that — and could very well be a dark horse contender if everyone comes back healthy over the next month who has been injured.
Right now, the perception of Irving is that rookie year was just a flash in the pan.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon called Irving the “Most Disappointing Player” on the roster in 2025.
“After averaging 5.4 yards per rush as a rookie, Irving has seen that number decline to 3.3 in 2025,” Gagnon wrote on October 24. “Only one qualified back is below that. He’s also yet to score a rushing touchdown.”
Irving had a season high 165 yards of total offense agains the Eagles — 15 carries for 63 yards and 5 receptions for 102 yards. That kind of production can flip games like the 28-23 home loss to the New England Patriots in Week 10.
Right now, it seems like the only legitimate weapon 2-time Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield has on offense he can rely on is 2025 first round pick (No. 19 overall) and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
Egbuka, possibly the frontrunner to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, leads the Buccaneers and is ninth in the NFL in receiving with 40 receptions for 677 yards and 6 touchdowns.
The Buccaneers have also gotten a boost lately from their final pick in the 2025 draft with rookie wide receiver Tez Johnson.
“There are just two rookies across the NFL this season with 250+ receiving yards and 4+ receiving touchdowns through Week 10 … Both are Buccaneers drafted by Jason Licht,” Buccaneers Communications wrote on its official X account on November 10. “Emeka Egbuka (pick No. 19) & Tez Johnson (No. 235).”