Packers Shocked by Panthers, Lose Tucker Kraft to Knee Injury

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur scoffed at to the notion of this being a “trap game.”

Call it what you want, but the Packers – fresh off a big win at the Steelers and awaiting a visit from the Super Bowl champion Eagles – laid a colossal egg in a 16-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

“Well, that was a tough one,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “We had two turnovers, missed a field goal, so we did enough things (and) we deservedly got our ass beat.”

The Packers tied the game with 2:32 to go but couldn’t hold off the upstart Panthers. On second-and-10 from midfield, a simple up-the-middle handoff to Rico Dowdle produced a 19-yard run to the 31. Two more runs by Dowdle set up rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald for a 49-yard field goal on the final play.

Adding considerable injury to insult, the Packers lost premier tight end Tucker Kraft to a knee injury in the third quarter. Kraft collided with guard Sean Rhyan, eventually was helped into the blue medical tent and ultimately carted to the locker room.

Tucker Kraft’s knee injury is a devastating blow for the #Packers. There’s almost no way to overstate what Kraft means as a leader, playmaker and blocker. ⬇️https://t.co/NPYsOPMqgX
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 2, 2025

The injury “does not look good,” coach Matt LaFleur said, though he wouldn’t say if Kraft could be back for a potential playoff run. The tone of his voice, however, hinted, that this was a major injury.

The Packers, who had won three in a row and had been undefeated at home, fell to 5-2-1.

The Eagles are 6-2 and will be fresh off their bye for Monday night’s game at Lambeau Field. Carolina, which was blasted at home by Buffalo last week, improved to 5-4. It’s won four consecutive games with Bryce Young at quarterback.

Jordan Love was 26-of-37 passing for 273 yards, with Romeo Doubs catching seven passes for 91 yards.

The Packers went a woeful 1-of-5 in the red zone.

“If we can’t figure shit out and score in the red area, it’s going to be tough to win football games,” LaFleur said.

Young was 11-of-20 for 102 yards. Dowdle, however, was the story. He destroyed Green Bay’s once-powerful run defense with 130 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. The Panthers ran for 163 yards, more than double Green Bay’s season average.

Trailing 13-6 and facing what might have been a do-or-die drive, Love led a 12-play, 71-yard drive to tie the game.

On the first snap, Love went play-action and hit tight end Luke Musgrave for 21 yards to midfield. Moments later, on fourth-and-3, Love connected with Malik Heath, who caught a short pass, slipped a tackle and gained 11. Short passes to Christian Watson, Musgrave and Savion Williams gave Green Bay a first-and-goal at the 7.

On second-and-goal at the 3, Jordan Morgan missed his block, Josh Jacobs jump-cut to his right and got to the 1. On third-and-goal, Jacobs was ruled down inside the 1. The replay board showed Jacobs had the ball past the goal line, so Matt LaFleur challenged and won. Brandon McManus made the extra point, which tied the game at 13 with 2:32 remaining.

At the 2-minute warning, the boobirds let rip a resounding “Go Pack Go” chant before “Jump Around” began. Carolina, however, ended the game by jumping around after the rookie’s walk-off field goal.

With about 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Packers trailing 13-6, coach Matt LaFleur for some reason turned down a 31-yard field goal and went for it on fourth-and-8 from Carolina’s 13.

Love had immediate pressure – a theme throughout the game – and bought time to his right. Then he scrambled to the left. Finally, he threw it across the field to the right. The only player within a country mile of the ball was cornerback Mike Jackson, who might have had a 105-yard pick-six had he not dropped the ball.

The offense lined up for that snap with Jacobs on the bench, Matthew Golden sidelined by a shoulder injury, Kraft in the locker room and Christian Watson being checked for a concussion.

Green Bay’s defense gave up one first down but forced a punt, so Love got another crack at it from the 29 with 7:24 remaining and cashed in with the tying touchdown.

Green Bay trailed 7-6 at halftime, a low-scoring game in which neither team punted.

There was no score at the end of the first quarter but the Panthers were on the move. Moments after Xavier McKinney’s sack-strip was recovered by the Panthers, McKinney made an end-zone interception when Young went deep to McMillan against Keisean Nixon.

The Packers drove into the red zone, highlighted by Love’s 51-yard bomb to Watson on third-and-11, but the offense went into reverse and hit the gas. An illegal snap by Elgton Jenkins, a sack allowed by Jordan Morgan, a false start by Watson and a dropped third-down screen set the stage for McManus’ 49-yard field goal.

The Panthers scored a touchdown on their next possession, bookended by Rico Dowdle’s 29-yard gain on a toss to the right and 5-yard touchdown on a middle toss.

The Packers salvaged the half with a field goal on the final play to trail 7-6 at halftime. On second-and-20, Love hit Doubs for 30. It was an incredible throw, with Loft floating it over safety Tre’von Moehrig.

The Packers were 0-for-3 in the red zone – including Savion Williams’ fumble on the opening possession – and were guilty of six penalties, so they managed only two field goals while not punting.

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