Matthew Golden entered the league with first-round expectations. Now that he is finally entering breakout territory, Matt LaFleur stubbornly won’t allow him to smash through the glass ceiling.
Cincinnati Bengals v Green Bay Packers | Patrick McDermott/GettyImages
Golden starred in the Green Bay Packers’ 27-18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, producing multiple big-time receptions to drive the victory over the goal line. He is gaining Jordan Love’s trust in a hurry, hauling in three catches for 86 yards.
It should leave LaFleur with an obvious decision: to make Golden the guy in the passing game. Apparently not.
“It is what it is, guys,” LaFleur told reporters when asked if Golden deserves more opportunities. “I know everybody wants us to force-feed guys the ball, but that’s really not how we’ve done it around here, and I don’t plan on changing that. That’s the beauty of having a lot of guys we have a lot of confidence in.”
Except that’s exactly how it used to work when one Davante Adams wore green and gold.
Remember 2020? LaFleur’s Packers went 13-3, Aaron Rodgers won his third NFL MVP award, and Adams hauled in 28.3 percent of the targets on offense. It worked. Golden isn’t Adams, but he is breaking out as a game-changing weapon for Love. Yet LaFleur has no intention of leaning on him.
Matt LaFleur’s stubbornness on Matthew Golden could hold back the Packers’ offense
Golden has the safest hands of any Packers receiver, and it’s easy to see his confidence increasing with each catch. And the same is true for his quarterback, who had a different message about Golden following the win.
“He adds another explosive playmaker. He made some big-time plays today. Both really explosive plays — the go-ball down the sideline and that last play there to him,” said Love. “We’re going to keep trying to get going and keep finding ways to get him the ball.”
Who did Love target with the game on the line against Dallas two weeks ago? Which receiver did he trust on a crucial 3rd-and-8 to seal victory over Cincinnati? Golden delivered both times.
LaFleur’s spread-the-ball approach is effective, but only to a point. It works best when your team has an assortment of weapons but lacks a true difference-maker. Aaron Rodgers had no problem “force-feeding” his top receivers. Keep doing it until the defense stops you.
Insisting on parity in the receiver room might keep a defense guessing, but it can also derail momentum. Golden kept burning the Bengals’ defense. Why would targeting him more not help this offense?
Rather, there’s an argument that prioritizing balance over riding the hot hand is what’s holding this passing game back. The Packers consistently leave points on the board and get stuck in first gear. It’s far easier to establish rhythm if the quarterback can lean on a few reliable targets. Repetition leads to rhythm.
“A lot of it is dictated off the coverages, how teams are playing us,” said LaFleur. “The quarterback’s role is just to make sure the ball is going in the right place based on what the defenses presents. Whoever gets those catches, gets them.”
How about dictating the game to the defense rather than reacting to it? Golden can do that.
You don’t buy a Ferrari to leave it in the garage and spread your journeys equally between your entire car collection, just like you don’t acquire a wide receiver with the No. 23 pick to have them fit into the same role as everyone else.
Golden can become the centerpiece of the Packers’ offense, but LaFleur’s stubbornness may prevent him from soaring to those heights.
