Matthew Golden stunning playoff performance puts his rookie season into perspective and highlights factors that were never in his control
Golden had an impressive game against the Bears.
Saying that Matthew Golden was a bust after one season was always insane — especially considering the Green Bay Packers’ track record of slowing down the usage of young players. And this is something that precedes head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst. It’s just the franchise modus operandi.
But after watching Golden individually shine in an otherwise sad playoff loss to the Chicago Bears, one has to wonder why the rookie wide receiver didn’t have more opportunities throughout his first NFL season.
“He did some really good things,” quarterback Jordan Love said after the game. “I think his touchdown catch was one of the more impressive plays of the season. I think he had a good night. He made plays when the ball came his way. That’s all he can do. We’ll always keep getting him going.”
Shocking difference
Matthew Golden played 14 games in the regular season. Some of them were affected by injuries that also made him miss three games, but still. The rookie had 44 targets, 29 receptions, and 361 receiving yards, without any touchdown.
In the playoff game, Golden caught four passes for 84 yards and a score. Just for you to have an idea, extrapolating that performance for Golden’s 14-game season, that would have been 56 catches for 1,176 yards.
Sure, a bigger sample size makes it harder for Golden to keep those big numbers. But it’s impossible not to think about what could have happened had the Packers leaned more into their talented wide receiver.
It’s natural for the Packers to preserve young players and to show patience, especially because the roster had enough receiving talent with more seasoned pieces. But if the Packers had enough confidence to make Golden their first first-round wide receiver drafted in 23 years, it’s fair to wonder why they didn’t show the same confidence to immediately weaponize him.
Next season should be much more prolific for Golden, especially because Romeo Doubs is a free agent. But his rookie season ends leaving you wanting more.
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