Tucker Kraft scored his first touchdown of the 2026 NFL season directly in front of a referee. The official completely missed it.
He didn’t even make a call!
It would be one thing if the NFL referee made the wrong decision and signaled incomplete, only for the play to be overturned on replay. That is not what happened in Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Tucker Kraft dropped a wide-open pass in the second quarter.
Tucker Kraft missed the majority of 2025 with a torn ACL. That did not prevent him from signing a four-year, $75 million contract extension with the Green Bay Packers during the offseason. He made nine catches for 109 yards in the first three games of 2026.
However, the 25-year-old tight end did not find the end zone. Kraft did not score a touchdown in Weeks 1, 2 or 3.
It looked like that was going to change during the first half on Sunday. Jordan Love lobbed one up to the corner of the end zone for an easy touchdown. Kraft could not come down with the catch. He dropped the ball.
Tucker Kraft, ooooof https://t.co/nAYdPwPOuu
— Christian D’Andrea (@TrainIsland) October 4, 2026
Fortunately, that did not deter Love, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich or head coach Matt LaFleur from trusting him in a similar situation at the beginning of the third quarter. They went right back to Kraft on 2nd-and-goal from the two-yard-line.
The NFL referee completely missed the most obvious touchdown of all-time.
Love faked the play-action while Kraft set the edge with a strong punch to the defensive end and broke off of his block to run a route to the far side. He beat the linebacker to the pylon. His quarterback delivered the ball right to his hands.
Unlike in the second quarter, Tucker Kraft secured the catch for his first touchdown since Oct. 26, 2025. It was easy.
And yet, even though he was standing directly in front of the catch, the referee did not throw up his hands to signal for six points. Nor did the referee signal for an incompletion. He did not do anything. He barely moved!
Let’s go! 📺: FOX https://t.co/ew9PERp3ey
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 4, 2026
An official who watched the entire play unfold right in front of him was not sure whether it was a touchdown so the play went to review. The replay made it very clear. It was a touchdown. How did the referee not see it?
Tucker Kraft This should be a touchdown! Right toes still down when he has control, plus one foot down into the end zone https://t.co/Z8qersJS8i
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) October 4, 2026
There are going to be bad calls in every game. Some officiating decisions hold greater weight than others.
This was not that. The referee did not even make a call. He completely missed the most obvious touchdown of all-time. Bizarre.