The Green Bay Packers don’t appear to have a problem finding open receivers. Receivers catching the ball, however, is unfortunately a problem.
We’ve seen the stat six hundred times already, but here it is once more for posterity: Through eight games, Green Bay has recorded 23 dropped passes, eight more than any other NFL team. And don’t look now, but that’s already more than the Packers had all of last season. As Jordan Love continues to put together an outstanding year, drops are becoming impossible
to ignore.
The biggest surprise in all of this is Matthew Golden, who was drafted in part specifically because he is incredibly sure-handed. In his first training camp, months removed from a season where Packers receivers again struggled to make tough catches, Golden reportedly caught everything. In 2026, he has nine drops.
But this isn’t exclusively a Golden problem. The issue has spread throughout a receiving group that has otherwise demonstrated plenty of big-play potential.
Ok, let’s stop piling on. There’s reason for optimism. Christian Watson and Golden have shown the ability to make tough catches generate explosive plays. Tucker Kraft has, too — and I’d expect him to start accumulating impressive plays as he continues to regain confidence following a return from a knee injury. The talent is there, we’ve seen the proof before, and Love clearly has confidence in his receivers.
That’s what makes the problem so frustrating. Green Bay doesn’t necessarily need to find another receiver before the November 10 trade deadline. It needs the very talented receivers already on the roster to catch the dang ball.
Until then, they’ll continue to be a streaky offense with a quarterback leading the league in passing yards. If the pass catchers can turn it around, though, the passing attack could graduate to the “most dangerous in the league” conversation. That’ll also be necessary for this team to survive the NFC North and do damage in the playoffs.
I dunno, can we go back to making them catch bricks or something?
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