Matthew Golden — Week 2: Four Catches, Four First Downs
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 21
Golden caught 4 of 6 targets for 58 yards, every catch a first down, including Green Bay's one third-down conversion of the day and a 14-yard catch to the Jets' 8 that set up the winning field goal in overtime. He also drew pass interference calls worth 23 and 38 yards. Twelve targets in Week 1 became six, in a 20–17 overtime win over the Jets.
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17 all, five 54 left in overtime, first and 10 at the New York 22. Jordan Love threw short left to Matthew Golden, who was pushed out of bounds at the eight for 14 yards. 12.2 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it, the second-largest gain on any Packers run or pass play of the afternoon, behind the throw to Chris Brooks one snap earlier. Green Bay kicked the 26-yard field goal on the next play and the game was over.
The line: six targets, four catches, 58 yards, no touchdowns, four first downs, +1.3 expected points added on the targets — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position. The catches went eight, 18, 18 14, and every one of them moved the chains. The first 18 was third and three at the Green Bay 34 with 10 35 left in the fourth, down 17 to seven, short left to the New York 48. Green Bay faced nine third downs on Sunday and that was the one it converted. The second 18 came five snaps later, second and 10 at the New York 25, short middle to the seven, three snaps before Christian Watson's touchdown. The two incompletions were third and seven on the opening drive and a throw 44 yards downfield on second and 10 with a minute 11 left in regulation. Then there is the yardage that is not in his line: pass interference on Brandon Stephens for 23 yards in the third quarter, and on Azareye'h Thomas for 38 on first and 25 in the fourth, between his two 18-yard catches. On that touchdown drive, throws to Golden accounted for 74 yards one way or another.
Six targets were second on the team to Watson's 11, 21 percent of Love's 29 throws, and his 58 yards led the Packers. One target came before halftime and five after, overtime included.
Back in June the preview called Golden a watchlist: the fiftieth receiver off the board, a locked-in starting job after a rookie year of three targets a game and no touchdowns, with September targets as the test — six a game would mean the job is what the price says, three would mean the depth chart was only a depth chart. Week 1 was 12 targets, with none of four third downs converted. Sunday was six, exactly the preview's line, with the third-down conversion Week 1 lacked and still no touchdown. 18 targets in two games is a real job. Two games do not make a leap, and Jayden Reed's injury changes the room he is doing it in. Green Bay is home to the Falcons on Thursday the 20-fourth.
_Data via nflverse._
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