The Green Bay Packers can be thankful that they’ll be in the playoffs when the Wild Card Round begins next week. But after losing three straight games, they still have problems that need to be addressed if they want to be anything but “one and done.”
One of those issues is the usage of rookie wideout Matthew Golden. The Packers’ first-round pick has been lost in the shuffle throughout his rookie season and has even ceded targets to Bo Melton, who began the year as a converted cornerback.
While head coach Matt LaFleur has wanted Golden to nail down the finer details of his game, he may have received an unwanted shove from the rival Chicago Bears. The Packers’ most likely playoff opponent threw some shade on Green Bay’s usage of Golden on Sunday night, as fellow rookie WR Luther Burden III’s breakout performance made the Packers look even worse for their decision to add Golden this past offseason.
Luther Burden’s Breakout Making Packers’ Matthew Golden Pick Look Worse
Burden broke out on a national stage on Sunday night, catching eight passes for 138 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The Missouri product had a chance for an even bigger day if he hauled in a pass from Caleb Williams on the final play in regulation, but his arrow is still pointing up with 18 catches for 289 yards and a touchdown over his past three games.
Meanwhile in Green Bay, Golden is struggling to make the same impact. In 13 games, has almost the same production that Burden has produced over the past three games, with 28 catches for 353 yards as he's still seeking his first NFL TD. Although Golden has also been dealing with wrist and shoulder injuries throughout his rookie campaign, Burden has had his share of injuries, including hamstring and ankle injuries earlier this season and a quad injury on the final play of Sunday’s game.
The Packers may also cite the depth in their receiver room as a reason why Golden hasn’t gotten the opportunities that Burden has received in Chicago. But outside of Christian Watson, the Packers have been begging for a playmaker throughout Jayden Reed’s absence due to a broken collarbone and Romeo Doubs’s disappearing act in the second half of the season.
To add further insult, Burden had to overcome an established veteran in DJ Moore and a promising second-year player in Rome Odunze to get his opportunities. While it took a while for him to get going, he seems to be in a better spot than Golden is at this point in their rookie campaigns.
After getting a WrestleMania-level pop in the Lambeau Field parking lot on draft night, Golden hasn’t lived up to the hype as the Packers' first receiver taken in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002. While there’s still plenty of time to live up to those expectations, it’s becoming clear it isn’t going to happen this year, and it may have seen the Packers let a better player slip through the cracks on his way to one of their biggest division rivals.