Packer Central

Tucker Kraft Celebrates Hallowed Holiday With All-Time Performance

Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft was the dominant force in the Green Bay Packers’ victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bill Huber|
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) celebrates his touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter.
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) celebrates his touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Sunday was National Tight Ends Day, for those who celebrate, and Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft brought the gift of YAC to the party in Pittsburgh.

And the gift of touchdowns.

Kraft caught seven passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns to spearhead a 35-25 victory over the Steelers on Sunday night.

“You could call it that,” he said when asked if that was his plan for the time-honored holiday. “Any time I get the ball in my hands, all I’m thinking about is north-south. How can I squeeze every amount of yards out of this play? Those opportunities came to me today, and I just executed.”

Kraft just missed the Packers’ record for most receiving yards by a tight end, falling 3 yards short of Richard Rodgers’ 146 yards that included the game-winning Hail Mary at Detroit in 2015.

Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft celebrates his touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter.
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) celebrates his touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Kraft joined Paul Coffman as the only tight ends in franchise history with 100-plus receiving yards and two-plus touchdowns in a game. Coffman caught six passes for 124 yards and two scores during the Packers’ famous Monday night victory over Washington in 1983.

Kraft’s dominant performance came in primetime, as well.

On Green Bay’s second possession, Kraft caught a pass 1 yard behind the line of scrimmage and broke two tackles for a 16-yard touchdown.

On the next possession, Kraft caught a pass in the flat, outran Patrick Queen up the sideline with a bit of help from Christian Watson and broke a tackle for a gain of 33 that included 32 yards after the catch.

At halftime, the Packers trailed 16-7 and Kraft had caught 2-of-4 targets for 49 yards.

Last week, Kraft was the go-to player in the fourth quarter, when Green Bay rallied at Arizona. On Sunday, Kraft took over the second half.

On the opening possession, the Packers faced third-and-5. Queen blitzed and hit quarterback Jordan Love. Love had “no idea” where the ball went. It floated in the direction of Kraft, who broke free from safety DeShon Elliott to make the grab, then showed his speed, power and tenacity for a catch-and-run gain of 59 yards that included 42 yards after the catch.

“I was the main read in that play,” Kraft said. “He had pressure, he had to get rid of the ball, I just saw that thing floating up in the air. It reminded me of that Seahawks game where we had that offsides free play. I just went up, came back, attacked the ball, grabbed it. I just felt a bunch of space and used my off hand, got a couple stiff-arms, just kept running.”

It was the biggest play of the game but not Kraft’s only big play on the drive. On fourth-and-1, good play design left him open in the flat for a gain of 7 that included 10 yards after the catch. He left the game briefly to be checked for a concussion after he caught a screen for 2 yards, with Green Bay pulling within 16-14 on a touchdown pass to Savion Williams.

Green Bay extended its lead to 29-19 during a series bridging the third and fourth quarters. After a 2-yard catch by Kraft, the Packers faced third-and-4. Kraft lined up in the slot to the right, beat defensive back Chuck Clark, caught a pass just past the first-down marker and sprinted for a 24-yard touchdown.

At that point, Kraft had his 143 receiving yards. Aaron Rodgers had 147 passing yards.

By our count, Kraft finished the night with 127 yards after the catch. Next Gen Stats gave him 131.

Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft scores a touchdown against Steelers safeties Chuck Clark (21) and Juan Thornhill.
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft scores a touchdown against Steelers safeties Chuck Clark (21) and Juan Thornhill. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

According to league data, Kraft is fifth in the NFL overall and first among non-running backs with 11.2 yards after the catch per catch.

“I was a high school running back,” Kraft said. “I played my first snaps at tight end when I got to college, so I catch the ball and I just try to get to top speed while holding the ball secure. There’s never really a plan. It’s ugly. It’s not like a practiced part. It’s just something I do in practice every day. As soon as I catch the ball, just simulating the YAC as much as I can, finishing 15, 20 yards on every play in practice.”

In terms of yards, Kraft has two of the three biggest receiving days by a tight end this season, alongside his six catches for 124 yards and one touchdown against Washington in Week 2. Only the Chargers’ Oronde Gadsden, who had seven catches for 164 yards and one touchdown against the Colts last week, had more receiving yards.

Among all players this season, Kraft is 39th with 30 receptions, 20th with 469 yards, ninth with 15.6 yards per catch and tied for third with six touchdowns.

“It’s big-time,” Love said. “He’s a big-time player, and I think everybody’s seen what he’s capable of when he gets the ball in his hands, just making guys miss, running people over, getting those extra yards. So, you know that anytime he touches the ball, he’s going to try to fight for all those yards.

“He’s just an explosive playmaker, so I’m just glad that everybody’s kind of seeing what he’s all about now.”

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.