Matthew Golden excelled on third and fourth down in 2025

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 16: Matthew Golden #0 of the Green Bay Packers lines up before a play during an NFL football game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 16, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Nobody's going to argue that Matthew Golden had a statistically dominant rookie season, or even a particularly noteworthy one. 29 catches for 361 yards isn't going to turn a lot of heads, no matter how you slice it.

But Golden was great for the Packers in at least one significant area: he consistently came up big for the Packers on third and fourth downs.

Golden converted 11 of 17 (58.8%) of his third and fourth down targets into first downs, the second-highest percentage on the team among receivers and tight ends with at least 40 targets. Only Tucker Kraft was better on the money downs than Golden, converting 11 of 15 opportunities (73.3%).

For good measure, Golden hauled in a clutch completion on a fourth down in the Packers' playoff loss to the Chicago Bears, snagging a pass from Jordan Love for a 13-yard gain on 4th and seven on the Packers' final drive.

That likely doesn't make up for Golden's relative lack of statistical output in the minds of many fans, but it shows a lot of good things about the young wide receiver. He was no afterthought on key downs, for one thing. Though both Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs had more targets and catches on third and fourth downs, Golden still got a decent number, and he caught them when called upon.

It's also noteworthy that Golden was getting open often enough to be regularly targeted on the money downs. That aligns with other data on his ability to shake defenders: according to ESPN's pass catcher analytics, Golden was in the top half of the league among eligible pass catchers in open rate," measuring the degree to which he separated from defenders. Golden ranked third among Packers pass catchers in open rate.

Now, this isn't necessarily an indicator of Golden's breakout potential for 2026 or a validation of his success in small sample sizes, and it's not intended to be. But it is evidence of Golden doing small things right on his journey toward a bigger role in Green Bay. And if he's going to become an elite wide receiver for the Packers, developing a reputation for being reliable on third and fourth down is a pretty great place to start.