Jan 12, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) puts pressure on Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) in an NFC wild card game at Lincoln Financial Field.
© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Last season, the Packers went with the idea that you don't need a No. 1 receiver to own the NFL. Other teams have successfully driven that car, but with an injured Jordan Love throughout the season, and playing in the NFC North (the league's most brutally competitive division) the margin for excellence was pretty thin. Green Bay got through the regular season with a 10-7 record, but losses to the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears in Weeks 17 and 18 proved to be an unfortunate preamble to what happened in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
That's when the Eagles beat the Packers, 22-10, and Love completed 20 of 33 passes for 212 yards, no touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 41.5 — the second-worst of Love's career to date. Love was off that day, and it didn't help that Eagles defenders appeared to want the ball more than his own receivers did.
Based on the draft, the Packers may have re-thought their bargain philosophy regarding receivers. For the first time since 2002 (Javon Walker), the franchise selected a wideout in the first round in the person of Texas' Matthew Golden, who has all the attributes to live up to his 23rd overall status sooner than later.
Golden, who caught 58 passes on 83 targets for 987 yards and nine touchdowns for the Longhorns in 2024, might be the guy who could tilt the Packers' receiver room in all the right ways. Without that, and with the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings looking down at them from last season, the Packers would have been stuck in third gear longer than they should have. And this game is where the Packers get to test that theory out against the defense that scuttled them to end their 2024 season.