The Green Bay Packers suffered a self-inflicted 39-22 loss in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, a defeat highlighted by head coach Matt LaFleur and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich not being on the same page.
LaFleur and Stenavich were not aligned regarding whether tight end Tucker Kraft was available for short-yardage sneaks, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “Yesterday Matt LaFleur said the Tucker Kraft sneak wasn’t off the table because it was his first game back from the ACL,” Schneidman wrote on X. “Adam Stenavich just said it was off the table because of that. Stenavich said ideally the Kraft sneak is the play there.”
The Packers turned a 12-point lead into a 17-point loss, allowing 29 consecutive points in the second half of their 39-22 defeat against their NFC North rivals, who played without starting quarterback Kyler Murray.
Where LaFleur and Stenavich were out of sync
The collapse began early in the fourth quarter when head coach Matt LaFleur decided to pass on a field goal – following a Vikings penalty – to go for it on fourth-and-1 deep in Minnesota territory.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers.
The kick would have given the Packers a three-point lead. Instead, a short-yardage rush attempt by quarterback Jordan Love was stopped, and the Vikings capitalized on the momentum shift to take control of the game. The Packers like to use tight end Tucker Kraft as a quarterback in QB sneak situations, but they opted against it in the standout pass-catcher’s first game back from a torn ACL.
In recent years, it has become common for teams to utilize their tight ends in QB sneak situations, and that appears to be the plan in Green Bay once the Packers feel comfortable using Kraft following his injury. Doing so on Sunday might have been enough to prevent the Vikings’ comeback and secure an NFL Week 1 victory.
The Packers will have to get back on track with a Week 2 clash against the New York Jets, who are surprisingly off to a 1-0 start after taking down the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. The team will look to bounce back from the poor start while awaiting Kyler Murray’s return.
