The Packers can follow blueprint set in the playoffs against the 49ers last time: feature the tight end

San Francisco boasts one of the best tight ends of his generation, but the Packers have a rising star of their own and using him in heavy personnel is the best plan for attacking this 49ers defense.

Matt LaFleur tried to use Kyle Shanahan’s playbook against him. Against the big, bad San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara last January, as 7-point underdogs, the youngest playoff-winning team in NFL history, LaFleur had learned the lessons of past 49ers postseason tilts. San Francisco could play with heavy personnel on the field and maul you no matter the weather. Meet force with force then, solve problems with violence. This version of the 49ers defense is even more vulnerable and the ascent of Tucker Kraft, a player who has already drawn comparisons to George Kittle, can be the biggest reason why.

A whopping 11 of Jordan Love’s 33 targets went to tight ends in the crushing loss in the Division Round. So while LaFleur had no problem being aggressive through the air, the Packers consistently had a pressure-release value which often meant dropping the ball off to the tight end when San Francisco’s dynamic pair of linebackers got depth.

Love threw a pick when he airmailed a pass doing that very thing but the approach marked a change. In 2021, Demeco Ryans dared Aaron Rodgers to throw to anyone not named Davante Adams and it was as if Rodgers didn’t even know Josiah Deguara was on the same team. Despite regularly getting open underneath on chip-release or normal outlet opportunities, Rodgers eschewed those chances to instead play buddy ball.

Love, to his credit, didn’t.

Those passes can be even more valuable this time around given the ascension of Kraft Yac N’ Cheese. The second-year tight end leads qualifying tight ends with 9.8 yards after catch per reception according to Pro Football Focus. In other words, he’s nearly a guaranteed first down every time he catches it. The gap between him and second-best is the same as between second and 10th. He’s the best YAC tight end in the league this season by a mile, one of the reasons he’s drawing comparisons to Kittle.

Against the 49ers 10 months ago, Kraft tied for the team lead in targets but managed just three catches for nine yards. He did score a crucial touchdown on a designed pick play in the low red zone, digging out a ball at his knees.

Much like Kittle, though not to the same degree, Kraft can be an asset in the run game too. The Packers have become one of the best split-flow zone teams in the NFL under LaFleur, in part because they can run it out of myriad personnel groupings.

This looks like part of their spinner, single-wing series, and it can be, but it’s also just a basic split-flow zone. This is a special version, dressed up to create pre-snap confusion, but their base split-flow zone comes under center and sets up a core play-action play where the quarterback boots out and the tight end, instead of blocking as he slices across the formation, sneaks out for a pass.