Matthew Golden didn’t play in the Green Bay Packers’ 10-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, but he may have had one of the biggest impacts on the game. With Golden sidelined due to a shoulder injury, the Packers struggled to find any explosive plays for their offense, and things only got worse when Romeo Doubs left the game with a chest injury.
With the Packers’ wide receiver room banged up coming into the game, Matt LaFleur would probably like to get Golden back as soon as possible. But the rookie’s impact needs to be more than just getting into a game, as LaFleur needs to dial up some targets for one of his most explosive weapons.
Golden Is the Explosive Playmaker the Packers Missed on Monday Night
Golden’s season has effectively been cut into two halves. He appeared to be an ascending player in the first half of the year, catching 14 passes for 212 yards, but he’s been phased out of the Green Bay offense in the past three games, catching nine passes for 50 yards.
Things had gotten worse for Golden before his shoulder injury, as he had just five catches for 13 yards in his last two games. Part of this coincided with the return of Christian Watson, but LaFleur also seemed to be against the idea of feeding the rookie extra targets, claiming it was the way his offense works.
“I mean, it just is what it is, guys,” LaFleur told reporters last month, via Mark Oldacres of Packers Wire. “I know everybody wants us to force feed guys the ball, but it’s really not how we’ve done it around here and I don’t plan on changing that.”
The lack of explosiveness came to a head on Monday night. Jordan Love attempted to take advantage of the intermediate game with an average depth of target of 9.5 yards, according to Pro Football Focus, but was never able to get into a rhythm, completing just 20-of-36 passes for 176 yards.
In addition to the 4.9 yards per attempt, the Packers had to dig deep just to find players to run routes. A pivotal play came on a 4th and 9 with 4:47 left in the third quarter. Looking for a completion, Love threw to Bo Melton, who was converted to cornerback earlier this year, only to have the ball bounce off his chest, leading to a turnover on downs.
The rest of the Green Bay pass catchers were also punchless on Monday night as Watson led the team with 45 yards on two catches. Josh Jacobs also had a team-high five receptions, but they were for a total of 33 yards as LaFleur utilized the screen game.
With Tucker Kraft out for the season with a torn ACL, the Packers need somebody to step up and be the explosive playmaker. While Watson’s return has helped, Golden could be another dynamic threat when he returns from injury if LaFleur doesn’t get in his way.