Christian Watson and Matthew Golden are already forcing their way into the Packers’ wide receiver conversation that usually starts with names like Javon Walker, Donald Driver, Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb.
That may sound like a leap this early, but the production has been impossible to ignore. Watson and Golden have given Green Bay a downfield spark all season, and the numbers back up what the eye test has been screaming: this tandem is rolling at an elite level.
For opposing defensive backs, it’s been a long, frustrating ride. For the Packers, it’s been one of the biggest reasons the offense has been humming.
Through six weeks, Watson and Golden have piled up 1,039 receiving yards combined, the most of any wide receiver duo in the NFL. They’re also the only team with two wideouts over 500 receiving yards at this point in the season. That kind of balance gives Green Bay a true one-two punch, and it stacks up favorably with the franchise’s best pairings.
The numbers are particularly striking when placed next to Packers history. Their six-game output is already ahead of the hot starts put together by Brooks and Freeman in 1997 and Nelson and Cobb in 2014, and it sits just one yard behind Driver and Walker. That’s rare air, and Watson and Golden have earned their place in the discussion.
This isn’t a situation where one receiver is merely riding shotgun while the other drives the offense. Both are making major plays, and both are doing it in a way that fits Green Bay’s current setup.
With the rushing game offering almost nothing, the Packers have leaned heavily on their receivers, and Watson and Golden have answered that challenge. The offseason shift that concentrated targets in fewer hands has paid off in a big way.
There’s still another level to reach, too. The only thing slowing down Golden and Watson at times has been their own hands.
Golden has been charged with six of the Packers’ league-high 20 drops, and Watson has three. Both also missed out on what should have been long touchdowns in the primetime win over the Dallas Cowboys.
That’s the main blemish on an otherwise explosive start. Outside of the drops, both receivers have separated consistently, created yards after the catch and won at every level of the field. They’ve built strong chemistry with Jordan Love, and the connection has been obvious every time Green Bay pushes the ball downfield.
At this pace, Watson and Golden aren’t just having a good season together. They’re pushing their way into the conversation for the Packers’ best receiver duo ever.
In Other News...
Packers Defense Faces A Bigger Test Than Just Beating Detroit
The Packers and Lions are set to run it back after their Thanksgiving meeting, and this version of the matchup looks a lot different on both sides of the ball. Injuries have reshaped the defensive outlook for each team, which puts even more pressure on the pass rush to show up against quarterbacks Jared Goff and Jordan Love, two players who have helped drive this rivalry into one of the NFCs more interesting weekly measuring sticks.
Green Bays challenge goes beyond simply trying to beat Detroit again. The Packers are trying to keep their front intact while dealing with health issues up and down the roster, and the strain at defensive tackle has become impossible to ignore. In the middle of all that, the urgency around fortifying the defensive line has grown, because if the Packers cannot generate disruption up front, the rest of the matchup gets a lot tougher in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Love Is Giving Packers Fans A Wild New Debate
Jordan Love has spent much of this season taking a beating behind a Packers line that has already allowed 13 sacks and left him getting hit 30 times, but he has kept Green Bay afloat anyway. Even with the physical toll, Love has stayed near the top of the league in passing yards and touchdowns, which has helped fuel a 4-2 start and turned him into one of the biggest reasons the Packers have been able to navigate the early part of the schedule.
The bigger question now is how long he can keep balancing production with punishment. Love is doing enough to make people around the league take notice, and the case for him as one of the NFLs more intriguing quarterbacks has only grown louder as the wins pile up. For Packers fans, the debate is no longer whether he can lead this team, but how high his ceiling really is if the protection in front of him does not improve. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Must Deal With Detroit's Most Dangerous Weapon Sunday
Ahead of Sundays Week 7 matchup, Matt LaFleur had plenty of praise for one of Detroits biggest problems for opposing defenses: Jahmyr Gibbs. The Packers coach pointed to Gibbs change of direction and all-around versatility, a nod to the kind of stress he can put on a defense whether the Lions use him as a runner or as a receiver out of the backfield.
That versatility is exactly why Green Bay has spent the week thinking about how to slow him down while also getting its own ground game on track. Gibbs has already emerged as a central piece of Detroits offense, and if the Packers are going to control the matchup, theyll need a cleaner plan against a weapon who can affect the game in more than one way. [Read more 🡒]