The Green Bay Packers barely escaped with a victory in Week 3 over the New Orleans Saints. In their home opener at Lambeau Field, the Packers trailed 17-0 heading into the fourth quarter as they couldn’t get out of their own way with self-inflicted miscues.
But, all of that was erased during their 18-0 fourth quarter, which was capped off by Saints rookie kicker Blake Grupe missing a 46-yard kick with just over a minute remaining in the game. That sealed a hard-fought, historic come-from-behind victory for Green Bay.
While there were a few standout performers from the game, there were also a few players who struggled to get the job done. Here are the five lowest-graded Packers players from Week 3 against the Saints.
5. TE Tucker Kraft
The Packers doubled down on the tight end position in the 2023 NFL Draft. Luke Musgrave, who was selected in the second round, has been heavily involved in the game plan every week. The same cannot be said about Tucker Kraft, who was selected in the third round.
Kraft is at best No. 3 on the depth chart and isn’t doing much to garner more playing time. He was on the field for six run-blocking snaps and was below average. No passes were thrown his way in the passing game, leading to an overall grade of 50.4.
While he isn’t getting many opportunities to prove himself, Kraft also isn’t standing out with the chances he is receiving.
4. LG Royce Newman
The offensive line was decimated by injuries heading into Week 3. Left tackle David Bakhtiari and left guard Elgton Jenkins were both sidelines. While Rasheed Walker played well in place of Bakhtiari, the same cannot be said for Royce Newman.
Newman struggled with his run-blocking, receiving a 53.0. His pass-blocking wasn’t much better at 57.9 as he allowed four hurries in the game. That resulted in an underwhelming 50.1 overall grade.
A lot has been made of the Packers’ lack of success in the run game as they are consistently losing the battle at the line of scrimmage.
3. RG Jon Runyan Jr.
If there was one positive on the afternoon against the Saints it was that Jon Runyan Jr. did hold up in the passing game. He didn’t allow a single pressure on 55 pass-blocking snaps, resulting in a solid 71.0 grade.
But, he ends up on this list as his overall grade was torpedoed because of his run blocking. Runyan had an overall grade of 48.3 courtesy of an abysmal 34.1 run-blocking grade, which was the lowest on the team.
2. LB Quay Walker
Linebacker Quay Walker has been one of the standouts early in the season for the Packers. He has been productive in every facet of the game, but Week 3 against the Saints was the first time that he really struggled this season.
Walker did record three stops in the game, resulting in a strong 79.6 tackling grade. But, his grades against the run and in coverage were underwhelming. He recorded a 50.8 against the run and 48.3 in coverage, resulting in an ugly 43.6 overall grade.
That was the lowest on the defense in Week 3 and hopefully just a blip on the radar. Everyone has a poor game every now and then as Green Bay needs him to bounce back in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions.
1. TE Josiah Deguara
It was mentioned earlier that Tucker Kraft hasn’t seen many opportunities on the field but that could change if Josiah Deguara continues playing at the level he has displayed thus far this season. He has consistently been one of the lower-rated players and isn’t getting the job done.
Deguara was expected to take over the role Marcedes Lewis has had the last few seasons as a blocker, but he hasn’t performed at a high level. His 39.4 overall grade is not cutting it, as he has a 32.2 run-blocking grade on the season.
Offering nothing in the passing game as a receiver, something could change with the personnel sooner or later. The team as a whole hasn’t run blocked well but Deguara isn’t helping his case to stay on the field.
