As Matthew Golden was the first wide receiver to be taken by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the NFL draft since Javon Walker was selected 20th overall in 2002, there was naturally a lot of pressure on the Texas alum to come in and make an immediate impact. But that's not quite the way things worked out.
In the Packers' Week 1 win over the Detroit Lions, Golden was targeted only twice but did catch both balls for 16 yards. In Green Bay's Week 2 victory over the Washington Commanders, the 22-year-old was again targeted only two times but failed to catch either pass.
This past Sunday, against the Cleveland Browns, things weren't going much better. Yes, heading into the fourth quarter, Golden had already set new career highs, but it's not as if those personal bests were anything to write home about, as he had three catches on three targets for 18 yards.
But then it happened. While the Packers held a 10-0 lead early in the final frame, they were backed up deep in their own territory, facing a 3rd-and-8 situation from their own 4-yard line, at which point Jordan Love and Golden hooked up for a 34-yard connection, thus giving Green Bay some breathing room and giving fans the big play they'd been waiting for from the rookie.
But here's the thing. While getting a big play from Golden is great, it could have (and should have) been so much bigger, as there was literally nothing between him and the end zone when he made the catch. But instead of scoring, he ran out of bounds.
Now, perhaps his momentum took him toward the sideline, or maybe he simply lost his balance. But if Golden goes to the house on that play, the Packers would've taken a 17-0 lead, assuming Brandon McManus tacks on the extra point, that is.
Matthew Golden says momentum took him out of bounds on pivotal play
"It's definitely a play I want back," Golden told reporters on Wednesday, via John Miller of NBC 26. "I feel like the safety was a lot closer to me and I ended up going out of bounds, but momentum did take me out."
"I'm always hard on myself," Golden added. "It could've been a big play for me. Something that I want back. But I know I'm going to have a lot more opportunities to do that."
Instead, of course, that drive ultimately went nowhere, and Green Bay ended up punting the ball away. And we all know what happened from there.
On the ensuing possession, the Browns went down and got a field goal, cutting their deficit to 10-3. Then came the Jordan Love interception, the Quinshon Judkins touchdown that tied the game at 10-10, the blocked field goal on McManus, and John Szmyt's 55-yard field goal as time expired to give Cleveland an improbable 13-10 victory.
The blame for the loss certainly can't all be put on Golden's shoulders. But it's difficult not to think about what could have been.
But that's all in the past now, and the Packers just have to move on. As for Golden, he'll have a big opportunity (we really wanted to say golden opportunity, but that's just too easy) to make up for his mistake this Sunday in primetime against a Dallas Cowboys defense that has given up the most passing yards in the entire NFL through the first three weeks of the season.