As a longtime Matthew Golden believer, I made it a priority to specifically request that I write about the first-round pick’s first career touchdown. This play from the Green Bay Packers’ Wild Card game comes in at number two on APC’s countdown of the best plays from last season.
The Game
The NFC Wild Card game against the Chicago Bears is not one that Green Bay Packers want to remember, even with such an awesome moment from Golden happening during the contest.
After barely hanging on against a spirited comeback
by the Bears a few weeks earlier in the regular season, the Packers blew an 18-point lead that allowed Chicago to pull off one of their most memorable playoff wins in decades.
The game concluded an injury-plagued season for the Packers that concluded with them playing without top-tier talent like Micah Parsons, Tucker Kraft, and Zach Tom. On top of that, it was a sour note on a year that started with such promise once the Packers made a trade for Parsons.
But for at least one player in Golden, that playoff game was the culmination of a year of ups and downs.
The Situation
The Bears roared back in the second half, cutting the Packers’ lead to just five points following a six-yard touchdown by D’Andre Swift with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Green Bay desperately needed to respond with a drive of their own, and were able to do so thanks to some big plays from Jordan Love and the passing game to start creeping up to the red zone.
Immediately after a third-down conversion by Romeo Doubs just outside of the red zone, the Packers decided to get Matthew Golden a touch.
The Play
A simple swing screen to Golden on 1st and 10 at the 23-yard line was likely intended to just get a few yards. Musgrave and Watson were lined up on the wide side of the field, with Golden going into motion to haul in the swing pass.
Thanks to a solid block on the outside by Luke Musgrave and a superhuman effort by Golden that involved multiple broken tackles, the Packers wideout was able to bob and weave his way through Chicago’s defense for a touchdown to give his team some much-needed cushion.
Brandon McManus would go on to miss the extra point because of course he did.
The Impact
The play gave the Packers a 27-16 lead with about 6:30 remaining in the game. What happened in the game’s final six minutes? We’ll never know, as the entire world got amnesia and forgot how that contest concluded.
As for Golden, his rookie season featured some classic rookie lumps, while the box score watchers were quick to dismiss the first-round pick as a bust because of his lack of production. However, that single play in the Wild Card game was a reminder of the ability that Golden really has, and if you watch the film (like I did in the video above for Best Available), you’ll gain a real appreciation for the ability that he brings to the field.
A touchdown like that one in the playoffs was the kind of high note Golden needed to end on to remind himself of the kind of impact receiver he can be. With Romeo Doubs’ and Dontayvion Wicks’ departures this offseason, the door is now open for Golden to build on that performance against the Bears and have a breakout sophomore season in 2026.
