(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
Matthew Golden in preseason action vs. the Jets. (Photo: Getty)
To quiet both the Matthew Golden isn't playing like a first-round pick and the Packers need to get Matthew Golden the ball more crowds, let's go back 20-something years.
Golden was the first wide receiver selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the NFL draft since 2002 when they traded up and selected Javon Walker out of Florida State.
Walker was the 20th pick of the 2002 draft and the third of three wide receivers taken in that draft. New Orleans took Donte Stallworth and Denver selected Ashley Lelie ahead of Walker.
Golden was the 23rd pick of this past draft and the third or fourth wide receiver taken out of three or four depending on how you designate Jacksonville's two-way player Travis Hunter.
Through his first seven games of this season Golden has 21 receptions for 253 yards and is still waiting for his first touchdown. He could have had it Sunday night in Pittsburgh, but on one of his rare mistakes of the night Jordon Love didn't see him open near the goal line. Golden, who also has 45 yards rushing on eight carries, has been targeted by Love 26 times in those seven games.
Walker finished his rookie season in '02 with 23 catches for 319 yards and one touchdown. That touchdown came in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons when he had his best game of the regular season with four receptions for 56 yards.
Golden has already had two games better that Walker's best with a three-catch, 86-yard game against the Cincinnati Bengals and a five-catch, 58-yard performance against the Dallas Cowboys.
After his first seven games, Walker had 11 catches for 160 yards and the lone touchdown. He had been targeted by Hall of Famer Brett Favre 25 times in those seven games.
Now, if you remember Walker had his breakout game in the wild-card loss in the snow against Atlanta when he caught five passes for 104 yards. He came back in 2003 to catch 41 passes for 716 yards and nine touchdowns. And then had his best season in 2004, his third year, with 89 receptions for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns.
So if you want to compare one first-round rookie wide receiver with another first-round rookie wide receiver, Golden is way ahead of Walker at this point.
Give and Take: In another off-the-board stat about these 2025 Packers the team has forced just four turnovers this season which is the second fewest in the league. On the flip side they have committed just three turnovers, which is tied for the second-best in the league.
Home and Away: The Packers might be fortunate that Sunday's game with the Panthers is at Lambeau and not in Charlotte. The Panthers are 3-1 at home this year, albeit the one loss a blowout one to Buffalo last week. They are 1-3 on the road, with the one win coming against the hapless Jets, 16-13. Carolina has also been outscored 118-58 in those four road games. The Panthers (4-4) are also 0-3 against teams that are over .500.
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