The Packers chose wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first round of this spring’s NFL Draft, out of Texas, with sights set on his big-play ability throwing open head coach Matt LaFleur’s playbook, and bringing out the best in Jordan Love.
So far this season, and especially over the past three games, Golden is beginning to deliver on those promises.
Golden was the Packers’ highest-graded player in Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals, according to Pro Football Focus, on his way to catching three passes for a career-high 86 yards.
In addition to his ability to take the top off a defense in the vertical passing game, Golden’s speed after the catch has made him an explosive weapon in recent weeks, which could be a preview of what to expect in Green Bay’s offense.
Having Golden in Love’s repertoire has brought out the best in the veteran quarterback, especially in recent weeks.
“Per RBSDM, Jordan Love had an ADOT (Average Depth of Target) of 9.5 yards,” Dusty Evely writes for SBNation. “He started off this season chucking, dialed it back in the Browns & Cowboys game, but came out of the bye firing. Love’s completion percentage of 73.1% is good, especially with that deeper ADOT. On the day, Love had an EPA Per Dropback of +0.27, 6th best in the league this week. For the whole season, Love is sitting at +0.26 EPA per Dropback, tied for the highest mark in the league with Daniel Jones and Josh Allen (per NFL Pro). Not too shabby.”
As Golden and Love continue to get on the same page, expect the big plays from Love to continue, even if that means being more restrained on when to air it out vertically.
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