Packers’ Jordan Love Reveals Plans for ‘Explosive’ Matthew Golden
(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Matthew Golden #0 of the Green Bay Packers makes a reception against Cam Taylor-Britt #29 of the Cincinnati Bengals during the second quarter in the game at Lambeau Field on October 12, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
After a slow start to what was expected to be a big year, Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden has begun to show signs of being the deep-ball weapon the team hoped he would be when it used a first-round draft pick on him in April.
Golden caught four passes for 52 yards, with a long of 34 yards in Week 3. In Week 4, he had five catches for 58 yards, with a long of 46 yards. On Sunday in Green Bay’s 27-18 win over the Bengals coming off the Packers’ bye week, Golden had his best game as a pro, making three catches for a season-high 86 yards, and made the play of the game.
That came with 2:32 to play and the Packers, clinging to a 24-18 lead, facing a third-and-9 from their own 40-yard line. Packers quarterback Jordan Love found Golden streaking near the left sideline, and Golden made the catch tumbling out of bounds. That set up a game-sealing field goal for the Packers.
Matthew Golden Gaining Trust of Jordan Love
Love was 19-for-26 for 259 yards passing and one touchdown on Sunday, as the team moved to 3-1-1 on the season. While Romeo Doubs (five catches on nine targets) remains Love’s favorite target and running back Josh Jacobs (18 carries, 93 yards rushing; five catches, 55 yards) is still the barometer of the offense, Golden is increasingly becoming the defense-stretching deep-ball target.
“He adds another explosive playmaker,” Love said. “Both really explosive plays, with the go ball down the sideline (35 yards in the second quarter), and then that last play there to him. He is a guy we’re going to keep trying to get going and keep finding ways of getting him the ball. He’s done some very good things.
“It’s always about spreading it around. He’s definitely a very explosive playmaker. Just gotta keep finding ways to get it to him.”
GettyGreen Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love
Packers Getting Another Explosive Weapon Back
The prospect was raised, too, of the Packers soon getting receiver Christian Watson back on the field now that he is nearing the end of his rehab from ACL repair surgery early this year. Watson is among the fastest players on the team, when healthy.
Love smiled at that notion, and about how many more explosive plays the team could lodge with Watson back.
“Oh man, I think there is definitely still room to make even more bigger plays,” Love said. “We’ve done a good job hitting some of them. You add Christian Watson back to the mix and I think we can do some real damage. We’re always trying to find ways to create those explosive plays and push the ball down the field and put the pressure on the defense.
“You add another speed guy like Christian, we’re gonna open this thing up. I think there are more plays we can hit on.”
Commanders' QB 'strikes a lot of fear' in opposing coaches
While some are worried about Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels being in the early stages of a sophomore slump after missing two of the team’s first five games, others around the NFL are more concerned about being part of his next highlight reel.
Daniels himself admitted he had to break off some rust after returning to play for the Commanders in a Week 5 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but if a 100 passer rating, 270 yards of offense, and one touchdown pass is rusty, then imagine what might happen when he’s comfortable again.
That is what the Chicago Bears are trying to stop from happening on Monday night, as they focus hard on how their defense is going to plan to contain the Washington quarterback, who is much different from the version they saw in 2024.
Defending the 'Triple Option' 2.0
"The engine to this thing is the quarterback and the ability of the quarterback to run the football, and that makes you play 11-on-11 football,” Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said in the week leading into the primetime matchup.
"It's like back in the old days of defending the triple option, everybody's going to have a dive, quarterback, pitch responsibilities, and everybody's got to do their job on each and every one of those plays.”
Chicago head coach Ben Johnson tried to take a look at the full Commanders offense, praising offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and run game coordinator Anthony Lynn for creating the league’s top rushing attack through five weeks.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The 'Clear Focal Point of Stress'
"There's something new every week, schematically. They put a lot of stress on the defense. But the clear focal point of that stress is the quarterback,” he said.
On Daniels, specifically, Johnson said, “He's dangerous. I think that's a big reason why their running game is what it is. He strikes a lot of fear in opposing coaches because you look at him. You've got to account for him.”
More Than Just an Athlete
But it isn’t just Daniels’ athleticism that scares opposing coaches. Unlike some in the past who have entered the league with top-shelf athletic ability, the second-year Washington quarterback also has the arm to punish defenses that try to bring extra pressure or lose discipline in coverage.
"Jayden's an extremely accurate thrower of the football. Something that I think is overlooked when you look at him because he is so dynamic with his legs," Johnson says.
The last time the Commanders and Bears faced off, the NFL’s Moment of the Year was born. This year, it is quite possible that the contest becomes the launching point for Daniels’ next level of progression, not unlike his first Monday Night Football appearance in 2024 signaled his advancement from rookie quarterback to playmaker.
And if Chicago isn’t careful, a Hail Mary will only be part of the imagery everyone remembers when looking back at its outings against Washington and its dynamic young quarterback.
