The Green Bay Packers have had plenty of rough edges through the first three weeks, and the offense has been the biggest one. Jordan Love has taken some of the heat, but it’s hard to do much behind what has been the worst offensive line in football and with no running game to lean on.
Even with all that mess around him, Matthew Golden has broken through.
For the Packers, that’s the bright spot. The second-year receiver entered the season with real questions hanging over him after a quiet rookie year, but now that Matt LaFleur has started to use him more aggressively, Golden is looking like a major hit for a team that finally landed its first first-round wide receiver in decades.
Golden’s speed was always the selling point, but speed alone doesn’t get you far in the league. Green Bay barely featured him as a rookie. This season, the route tree has opened up, and the Packers have put him in a much different role.
Pro Football Focus shows that 86 percent of his routes have come outside, a shift from how he was used before. That change has helped his numbers jump across the board.
Golden is averaging 2.33 yards per route run, posting an average depth of target of 14.2, and generating 6.4 yards after the catch per reception. DraftKings Network says he’s also averaging 2.6 yards of separation per route.
He’s creating space, making defenders miss, and looking far more comfortable with the ball in his hands, even if drops remain part of the picture.
The Packers’ passing game has largely been a two-player operation so far, with Golden and Christian Watson matching up closely in targets, receptions and receiving yards. Golden also didn’t have to wait until the postseason for his first touchdown of the year, though Watson still leads him there, 4 to 1.
That matters because the expectations around Packers receivers never really go away, and they’re even heavier when you’re the one who ended the long first-round drought. Golden didn’t meet the hype early, but Green Bay has always tended to be patient with young players.
Now the opportunity is there. With Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks gone, Jayden Reed hurt, and Tucker Kraft not yet back to his usual level, Golden has become the receiver the Packers lean on most. More often than not, he’s answered.
There’s still cleanup work ahead, but he’s already benefiting from the way this offense is shifting around him. If the line settles in and the run game starts to show something, Golden’s rise should only keep rolling.
In Other News...
Packers Fans Just Got A Viral Gameday Distraction They Didn't Expect
A Packers-Buccaneers game already had enough going on with Green Bays early-season struggles, but one fan in the stands managed to steal a different kind of spotlight. A photo of a female Packers supporter dressed in a cheese-themed outfit started making the rounds on social media, quickly turning into one of the most discussed images from the afternoon.
The reaction stretched well beyond the Green Bay crowd, with Buccaneers fans jumping in online as the picture spread. It also fit a familiar pattern for Packers gamedays, where the action on the field sometimes shares space with viral fan moments that take on a life of their own long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Escaped Tampa But One Problem Could Loom Over Everything
The Packers left Tampa with a hard-fought 17-14 win, and the box score alone does not tell the whole story. There were bright spots worth filing away, including strong showings from Kaleb Johnson, Laken Tomlinson, Brandon Cisse and Tucker Kraft, but the game also exposed a few issues that lingered beneath the result.
Edgerrin Coopers night loomed over much of the conversation, with his status carrying the kind of weight that can change the way a season is viewed in a hurry. Add in the uneven moments from MarShawn Lloyd and some questions around Matt LaFleurs decisions, and the Packers escape felt less like a clean victory lap than a reminder that the next injury report could matter just as much as the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Face Week 4 Pressure From An Unexpected Bucs QB
An undrafted rookie is suddenly set to get his first meaningful NFL shot in Week 4, and it comes with the kind of spotlight Green Bay did not have circled back in August. Jalon Daniels is expected to be in line for significant work for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Packers, a matchup that carries a little extra intrigue because of the urgency surrounding a 0-3 start and the need for somebody to jolt the offense.
Former Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden added to the buzz by publicly encouraging Daniels, framing the moment as both an opportunity and a test of mindset. For Green Bay, the bigger picture is simple: a young quarterback stepping into a pressure-filled setting can bring unpredictability, and the Packers will be dealing with a Tampa Bay team hoping this change at the position can finally spark a turnaround. [Read more 🡒]