The Green Bay Packers have a lot to feel great about coming off their 35-25 win over the PIttsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. Jordan Love made many fans forget about Aaron Rodgers, throwing for 360 yards and three touchdowns in the victory and Tucker Kraft put together a dominating performance, hauling in seven passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
While the passing game was front and center in the Packers’ win, it may be the players who didn’t get targets drawing the headlines. Matthew Golden had a quiet night, catching three passes for four yards in the victory and he may have indicated there is a problem on his hands as Eli Berkovits of 247Sports noticed that the rookie deactivated his Instagram account following Sunday night’s win.
Matthew Golden Delivers Message Without Saying Anything After Packers Week 8 Win
This could be a case of Golden doing the right thing. After getting just three targets in Sunday’s win, he could have jumped on his account, posted a cryptic story and taken away from an impressive victory on the road. But it also could have been a source of frustration as Golden felt like he should have had a bigger role in the win.
Tanner Phifer of XPAND Sports caught one instance where Golden could be upset on a play with 5:31 left in the fourth quarter. While Golden was wide open for a potential touchdown in the middle of the field, Love opted to fire a pass to Emanuel Wilson which fell incomplete and forced the Packers to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Brandon McManus.
The Packers wound up blowing the game open anyway as a fumble by Kenneth Gainwell allowed Green Bay to go ahead 35-19 on another McManus field goal with 3:59 remaining. But it still could be a source of frustration considering how Golden’s rookie season has played out.
Golden was on a roll coming into Sunday’s game, catching 16 passes for 234 yards on 19 targets. While that production could have warranted an increased role moving forward, head coach Matt LaFleur quickly dispatched that idea, insisting his team would remain within the confines of the offense instead of force feeding Golden targets.
The rookie’s night wasn’t helped out by the return of Christian Watson, who caught four passes for 85 yards and Romeo Doubs had another strong night with three catches for 44 yards. But the surprising part was the three receptions and 29 yards for Malik Heath, who came into Sunday’s game with just two catches for 46 yards over the first six games.
It wasn’t all bad for Golden, who played 43 snaps to Heath’s 27 on Sunday night. But it was still a disappointing outlook considering Dontayvion Wicks was sidelined with a calf injury.
With Golden embroiled in a three-way battle for snaps at his position, it could be something he has to deal with now that Watson is back on the fold. But something as simple as a social media deletion could mean things aren’t what they seem and could create a big issue going forward.