GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers receiver Matthew Golden giveth and he taketh away.

First the negative. Including two against Carolina, Golden leads the NFL with nine drops, according to Pro Football Focus. The Steelers’ D.K. Metcalf is next with six, the Saints’ Chris Olave is third with five and former Packers receiver Romeo Doubs of the Patriots is among a group of players with four.

It’s not just a matter of volume. Of the 70 receivers who have been targeted at least 24 times, Golden is first with a drop rate of 17.3 percent.

Golden is the odd player who has shown great hands but has shown great problems catching the ball when it matters.

“I talk to our guys about it every single week, and it’s just a process of continuing to get better and better and better,” passing-game coordinator Jason Vrable said on Monday. “Every single game he’s made an incredible catch – like, even the one last week that was thrown a little bit behind him on the in-breaker. He’s made some incredible catches.”

Using PFF’s data, Golden has at least one drop in seven games. That includes two against Carolina and three against Dallas. According to Stathead, Golden has eight drops – three more than a group of players with five that includes Tucker Kraft.

“It’s just about consistency,” Vrable said. “That’s what we always evaluate our players on is being consistent and getting better every day. I know you guys have asked him about it a lot and talked with him about his approach. I think he’s been working his butt off, and it’s just in the heat of the moment, you’ve just got to be able to make those plays.

“So, I feel like the second half of the season here, just got to grow, just got to continue to get better. And when you get your opps, it’s our job to make those plays.”

Golden’s got to make them because he’s going to keep getting opportunities. Golden ranks fourth in the league with 80 targets. He has had at least 12 targets in three consecutive games.

Receivers coach Noah Pauley noted that trust from quarterback Jordan Love. That, of course, was evident when Golden dropped a 24-yard touchdown pass against Carolina, only to catch a 24-yard touchdown pass on the next play.

It’s also evident in really being the go-to player at crunch time.

Players with 200+ scrimmage yards in the 4th quarter this season:

1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba – 296
2. James Cook – 273
3. Jaylen Warren – 243
4. Chris Olave – 242
5. Matthew Golden – 239
6. CeeDee Lamb – 223
7. Kyren Williams – 221
8. Drake London – 218
9. Tee Higgins - 216

— NFL Researcher (@NFL_Researcher) October 30, 2026

“It’s just something of his focus in the moment of truth when that ball’s ahead of him. That’s part of just continuing to grow and hammer on the details,” Pauley said.

Hammer the details, yes. Hammer Golden over the head for the drops, no.

“It is a lot of just the focus,” Pauley said. “When it comes down to it, that ball’s in the air, that last 2, 3 yards, ‘My focus has got to heighten up and I’ve got to make a big play,’ and I think that’s just the details of it when it comes down to catching the football.”

The Good With Matthew Golden

In eight games, Golden has caught 43 passes for 619 yards. He enters Monday night ranked in the top 10 in both categories and just outside the top 10 with four touchdown catches. He has three 100-yard games this season and four consecutive games of at least six catches. His 17-game pace is 91 receptions, 1,315 yards and 8.5 touchdowns.

The numbers would be better without the drops. They’d also be better with the interference penalties he’s drawn.

According to Sumer Sports, Golden and Arizona’s Michael Wilson have drawn a league-high six interference penalties. Those penalties have resulted in 115 penalty yards – 19 more than Houston’s Nico Collins.

Is there an art to drawing interference penalties, or is it simply a matter of Golden is so fast and so technically sound in his route-running that defenders have to resort to grabbing?

“He has the speed to get by a defender, right? So, oftentimes, let’s say they’re bringing pressure and they’re telling their defensive backs to kind of squat near the sticks,” Vrable said. “That happened in the Jets game.”

In that game, he drew two interference penalties for 61 yards. He also drew one against Carolina on third-and-11.

“Some teams teach their DBs to be slow in the back pedal because we’re pressuring to force the ball out,” Vrable said of third down. “And he’s ran through the contact and, obviously, he has the ability to get behind. When you get behind a defender, what do they do? They panic, right?”

Yes, that’s a trait that scouts call “DB panic mode.” Rather than trusting their technique and skill, they grab. Given Golden’s elite speed, they are more apt to grab, figuring a 30-yard penalty for interference beats the alternative.

“They don’t want to give up the big play,” Vrable continued. “You’re on national television, so then what do they do? They try to make up for it with effort. Well, then the ball might be up there, and he’s done a really good job.”

The interference penalties are great. The next step is to make the catch.

“Our motto is always like, yeah, it’s great to draw the pass interference or the holding,” Vrable said. “That’s great, but let’s do both. Let’s draw that and make the play. You know, I think that’s got to be the standard, kind of the Packer way. Playing like a ‘G’ is just getting both and coming down with the ball still. And there’s no excuses. They call pass interference, you still make the play, right? That’s got to be the standard.”

Breaking news:

The Packers' run game isn't just terrible. It's historically terrible. And nothing has helped. ⬇️https://t.co/IaIJH9Yxrt

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 2, 2026