{"id":5713,"date":"2025-11-13T14:19:54","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T14:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/mina-kimes-issues-packers-brutal-reminder-calls-on-matt-lafleur-to-rethink-the-offense\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T14:19:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T14:19:54","slug":"mina-kimes-issues-packers-brutal-reminder-calls-on-matt-lafleur-to-rethink-the-offense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/?p=5713","title":{"rendered":"Mina Kimes issues Packers brutal reminder, calls on Matt LaFleur to rethink the offense"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mina<\/p>\n

For an obvious reason,\u00a0Matt LaFleur\u00a0may have to call plays a bit differently moving forward: the Packers no longer have the outstanding services of tight end Tucker Kraft.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s a big chunk of production to replace.<\/p>\n

How Kraft\u00a0did<\/em>\u00a0accumulate those yards was a pillar of LaFleur\u2019s conservative offensive philosophy. Kraft\u2019s 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\u2019s total yards came after the catch.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Part of the Packers\u2019 issues against the Eagles, Kimes\u00a0suggested,\u00a0was that they tried to run the same conservative short game against a defense primed to stop it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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\u2019t. That was my feeling. Or it was all short [passes].\u201d<\/p>\n

Against Philadelphia\u2019s defense, that is not a recipe for success. \u201cThe Eagles are one of the best tackling defenses in the NFL,\u201d Kimes added. \u201cThey\u2019re amazing against short passes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t just the box score, though, influenced as it was by the necessity of longer passes on third and long and the Packers\u2019 trailing game state in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

Mina Kimes issues Packers brutal reminder, calls on Matt LaFleur to rethink the offense 2\u00a0Green 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<\/p>\n

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\u2019s average depth per target was 1.5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. He might as well have been playing with myopia.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a reason the Packers will have an even harder time running that type of offense in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the other thing. Tucker Kraft\u2019s not there anymore, man. The YAC is no longer on the menu. You got to mix it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ouch. That one hurts, both for the loss of Kraft as an individual and what it does to the offense as a whole. It\u2019s also something LaFleur needs to hear from the rest of his offensive staff.<\/p>\n

Mina Kimes issues Packers brutal reminder, calls on Matt LaFleur to rethink the offense 3\u00a0Green 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<\/p>\n

Excluding running backs,\u00a0Romeo Doubs\u00a0is the next closest receiver in YAC. He has 92 YAC in nine games. Matthew Golden, who missed the Eagles game with a\u00a0shoulder injury\u00a0, has 86 YAC in eight games. That\u2019s about it.\u00a0Jayden Reed\u00a0accumulated 380 yards after the catch last season, he remains out indefinitely following\u00a0collarbone and foot surgeries.\u00a0The Packers need to adjust.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil Jayden Reed comes back, that\u2019s not who you are anymore. I think that\u2019s my thing with LaFleur. \u2026 It feels to me like he wants to call the offense for a group of players he doesn\u2019t have anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getty<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving.<\/p>\n

There might finally be light at the end of the tunnel for the\u00a0Tampa Bay Buccaneers\u00a0when it comes to injured running back\u00a0Bucky Irving.<\/p>\n

The Buccaneers offense has been without Irving for the last 5 games, since a Week 4 loss to the\u00a0Philadelphia Eagles\u00a0on September 28 due to a variety of injuries, although a shoulder injury has been of the most concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cPossibly big Bucs news,\u201d\u00a0Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud\u00a0wrote on his official X account on Wednesday, November 12. \u201cRB Bucky Irving is participating in the walk thru practice. G\u00a0Ben Bredeson\u00a0also working. Irving has not played since Sept. 28 due to foot and shoulder injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Buccaneers are 6-3 headed into a brutal pair of road games coming up with a trip to face the\u00a0Buffalo Bills\u00a0in Week 11 before heading all the way across the country to face the\u00a0Los Angeles Rams\u00a0in Week 12.<\/p>\n

Irving, who rushed for over 1,000 yards as a rookie, has been sorely missed.<\/p>\n

While the Buccaneers have made up the slack at wide receiver with\u00a0Chris Godwin,\u00a0Mike Evans\u00a0and\u00a0Jalen McMillan\u00a0out with injuries, it\u2019s been harder to do that with\u00a0Rachaad White\u00a0stepping in for Irving.<\/p>\n

\u201cTodd Bowles said it was good to see Bucky Irving on the practice field but he was limited and it was just a walk-through,\u201d\u00a0Buccaneers.com\u2019s Scott Smith\u00a0wrote on his official X account. \u201cNeeds to see Irving in a full-speed practice before making any proclamations about a timetable for his return.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Irving\u2019s follow up too a bravura rookie campaign has fallen flat to this point, he has the advantage of playing on a team that\u2019s in first place in the NFC South Division \u2014 with a 2-game lead at that \u2014 and could very well be a dark horse contender if everyone comes back healthy over the next month who has been injured.<\/p>\n

Right now, the perception of Irving is that rookie year was just a flash in the pan.<\/p>\n

Bleacher Report\u2019s Brad Gagnon\u00a0called Irving the \u201cMost Disappointing Player\u201d on the roster in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter averaging 5.4 yards per rush as a rookie, Irving has seen that number decline to 3.3 in 2025,\u201d Gagnon wrote on October 24. \u201cOnly one qualified back is below that. He\u2019s also yet to score a rushing touchdown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Irving had a season high 165 yards of total offense agains the Eagles \u2014 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\u00a0New England Patriots in Week 10.<\/p>\n

Right now, it seems like the only legitimate weapon 2-time Pro Bowl quarterback\u00a0Baker Mayfield\u00a0has on offense he can rely on is 2025 first round pick (No. 19 overall) and wide receiver\u00a0Emeka Egbuka.<\/p>\n

Egbuka, possibly the frontrunner to win\u00a0NFL\u00a0Offensive Rookie of the Year, leads the Buccaneers and is ninth in the NFL in receiving with 40 receptions for 677 yards and 6 touchdowns.<\/p>\n

The Buccaneers have also gotten a boost lately from their final pick in the 2025 draft with rookie wide receiver\u00a0Tez Johnson.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are just two rookies across the NFL this season with 250+ receiving yards and 4+ receiving touchdowns through Week 10 \u2026 Both are\u00a0Buccaneers\u00a0drafted by Jason Licht,\u201d\u00a0Buccaneers Communications wrote on its official X account on November 10. \u201cEmeka\u00a0Egbuka\u00a0(pick No. 19) & Tez Johnson (No. 235).\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For an obvious reason,\u00a0Matt LaFleur\u00a0may 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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t