Tucker Kraft — Week 1: Six Targets, Sixty-Five Yards

Tucker Kraft's biggest play Sunday was the second snap of Green Bay's two-minute drive. Second and eight at the Green Bay 28, one 19 left in the second quarter, Packers up 12 to 10: Jordan Love short left to Kraft, 23 yards to the Minnesota 49, first down. +1.4 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and +7.7 points of win probability, the chance of winning after the play against before it. By win probability, only the 81-yard and 42-yard throws to Watson and Matthew Golden gained Green Bay more on any offensive play. Four plays later Watson caught the two-yard touchdown and Green Bay led 19 to 10 at the half.

The line: six targets, three catches, 65 yards, no touchdowns, three first downs, +1.8 expected points on the targets. The longest was 30, first and 10 at the Green Bay 14 with 10 34 left in the second quarter, up 12 to three, deep left to the 44. The third catch was 12 yards short left on the second snap of the second half, first and 10 at the Green Bay 26. The three incompletions bracket the day: the first Packers pass play of the season, first and 10 at the Green Bay 47 with 14 14 left in the first, short middle; a deep middle throw on second and 12 at the Minnesota 41 two minutes later; and second and six at the Minnesota 22 with 13 32 left in the fourth, up 22 to 17, short right, the drive that ended two plays later on the fourth-and-one at the 17. None of the six came on third down. Four targets before halftime for two catches and 53 yards; two after for one catch and 12.

Six targets was fourth on the team, behind 12 to Golden, eight to Watson and seven to Jayden Reed, and the 65 yards were third behind Watson's hundred 47 and Golden's 95. Love threw 42 times on 46 pass plays, 19 pass plays before halftime and 27 after, and two throws carry no receiver.

Back in June the preview called Kraft a watchlist — the fifth tight end at pick 73, a top-two per-game rate on eight games before the torn knee, expecting to play Week One at Minnesota with no pitch count, and the knee, the snap count and a 30-percent touchdown share as the things to watch. Sunday he played the opener at Minnesota, was thrown to six times, caught three for 65, and did not score. One game with three first downs and no touchdown does not say anything about the knee that the play-by-play can see, and it does not settle the touchdown rate either. Green Bay is at the Jets on Sunday the twentieth.

_Data via nflverse._