It’s becoming abundantly clear that the Green Bay Packers got a good one when they selected Matthew Golden in the first round back in April. Where things get foggy is how the picture will look with the inevitable return of Christian Watson, and then Jayden Reed, further down the road.
One thing is clear after the last couple of games: You’d be hard-pressed to give Golden too many targets.
Trailing 40-37 on a do-or-die play in overtime against the Dallas Cowboys a few weeks ago, quarterback Jordan Love went to Golden on a fourth-and-six from their own 24-yard line. That 14-yard reception moved the sticks and kept the game alive. That’s after Golden proved that speed does indeed kill when he connected with Love on a 46-yard pass on the opening drive.
On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals put the Packers in yet another tense late-game scenario. The Packers were leading, 24-18, with 2:32 left and staring down the barrel of a third-and-eight. Brand-new (in some ways) Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco had started to warm up the Cincy offense in the second half, and letting them have the ball again seemed like an increasingly risky proposition.
Love was flushed to his left after the snap. Golden was running a deep route that he recognized was going to be blanketed. Instead of rolling with it anyway, Golden cut off his route, got underneath the safety Jordan Battle, and Love hit Golden in stride for a 31-yard connection that essentially put the game out of reach.
The quarterback and rookie receiver were on the same page in a huge moment where Golden’s initial route was cut off, according to Love.
“MG was taking it deep and kind of saw me working the scramble, so he was able to put his foot in the ground and come back down,” Love said. “Just threw it up for him; he made a great play.”
In back-to-back games, Golden has delivered in big moments. The chunk plays are coming along with it. Golden finished with three receptions for 86 yards against the Bengals. The receptions went for gains of 35, 31, and 20 yards.
Even with the imminent return of Watson and Reed, Golden needs more targets. His hands were lauded throughout training camp as arguably the best on the team. Through five games, Golden doesn’t have a single drop on 18 targets. You can see the rapid improvement in his game as he garners more looks from Love.
Playing fast is something Golden thrives at, according to the man himself.
“Being able to go out there and play fast, be on the same page with Jordan and just let the game come to me,” Golden said. “I feel like whenever I got confidence and play fast, the sky is the limit.”
When asked if he’s on the same page as Love at this point, Golden didn’t hesitate.
“I feel like we’re right where we need to be,” Golden said. “I’m excited to play for a guy like that. Knowing he can put the ball anywhere, all I gotta do is catch it. So he definitely makes my job a lot easier.”
When he’s had the opportunities, he’s delivered. It’s Matt LaFleur’s job to make sure the opportunities grow instead of fade once the wide receiver room is at full health.
Golden’s 18 targets are tied for just fifth on the team with Dontayvion Wicks. Romeo Doubs is out front at 28, followed by Tucker Kraft, who has 22. Running back Josh Jacobs has been far more active in the receiving game early in the season and has 19 targets.
In terms of snap counts, Golden is at a great pace. Only Doubs has played more snaps (269) at wide receiver than Golden (200). Golden has played 61% of the total snaps on offense. So he’s out there plenty, but you’d like to see more targets for a player ascending in this offense and who is clearly gaining the trust of his quarterback.
Watson’s return could take a portion of Golden’s looks away, but it could also drastically open up the field. Watson, like Golden, can take the lid off a defense at any given moment. The idea of both being on the field at the same time should cause plenty of headaches for opposing defenses. In theory, Golden could be freed up even more.
Golden was asked if he’s ready to have more looks come his way. His response was what you’d expect.
I know I’m capable of anything. That’s the mindset I’ve got. There can never be too much on my plate. I’ve got all that confidence in myself. The more opportunities I get, I’m going to make the most of them and go from there.
There are a lot of mouths to feed in Green Bay’s offense. That said, Golden has earned more looks. They almost can’t overdo it. Time and again, when the Packers have put the ball in Golden’s lap, good things have happened.
