Week 16 at Soldier Field, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love’s head snapped back. Chicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker’s helmet met his, and the signal caller crumpled. Suddenly, the Packers’ playoff push seemed as shaky as their signal caller’s legs. But as Love stumbled off to the locker room with a concussion and Malik Willis took over, a different anger started rolling over the Cheeseheads.

Booker got flagged for roughing, his second of the game. But it doesn’t matter how many penalties you throw when the damage is already done. Love had completed 8 of 13 for 77 yards before the hit ended his Week 16. Willis came in and actually looked solid: 9-of-11, 121 yards, and a touchdown connection with Romeo Doubs. But Green Bay still blew it. Up 10 points in the fourth quarter, they collapsed in overtime, losing 22-16 after Willis fumbled a botched snap. 

What hurt the most about this outing was that Love’s been unbreakable since taking over in 2023. Just two missed games before this disaster. But now he’s in concussion protocol, with the Baltimore Ravens coming to Lambeau next week. But even with Love sidelined and the playoff picture tightening, the Packers fans couldn’t stop pointing at a different problem. One that’s been festering all season: rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden’s appearances.

Golden’s stat line tells the whole story. Through 12 games, he’s just made 27 catches for 341 yards and has no touchdowns to his name. A first-round pick with Golden’s athleticism shouldn’t be scoreless in mid-December. But head coach Matt LaFleur keeps feeding him jet sweeps and gadget plays instead of letting him be a full part of the offensive blueprint. And that’s not sitting well with anyone watching.

But LaFleur won’t budge. He’s determined to spread the ball around, not force-feeding passes to anyone. “That’s the beauty of having a lot of guys we have a lot of confidence in,” he had said after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6. But when Golden flashes brilliance on third downs like those clutch catches against Cincy and then vanishes for quarters at a time, the philosophy stops making sense.

The frustration around not using Matthew Golden’s full potential has been brewing all season. But Week 16’s overtime loss to the Bears just cracked it wide open.

Fans demand a proper stage for Matthew Golden

The fanbase erupted after the Bears game. It wasn’t just about Jordan Love but also about Golden getting wasted on sweeps while the offense sputtered.

“I’m begging Matt LaFleur to spot only using Matthew Golden on sweep plays,” one reaction summed up the mood. Against Chicago, Golden only had a single target, which he couldn’t catch. Although he did add 4 yards on the ground across two carries. Another voice went further and highlighted Golden’s talent: “Matthew Golden can be really good, but these gadget runs are just not the right way to use him.”

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It’s the same script for Golden, week after week. Horizontal plays, minimal targets (he only has 38 so far this year), and untapped potential. And one person called out Matt LaFleur for it. “Coach the team you have, not the team you want to have,” they wrote. LaFleur notably keeps using Golden like Jayden Reed, running both receivers on jet sweeps instead of unleashing them downfield. “Why do they insist on treating Golden like he’s Reed?” one fan asked, but no answer exists for that yet.

The bluntest take was a fan exasperated at seeing the first-round receiver so severely limited. “Just throw him the ball. I don’t understand it. Let him run a f****** route,” they wrote. Another chimed in with, “Lafleur only runs jet sweeps with Golden and Reed. Both good WRs, but won’t use them in the passing game.” This frustration cuts deep. Golden has the tools; he’s shown it in flashes when given the chance. But the playcalling simply won’t let him cook.

To be fair, Matt LaFleur’s system works when the team is healthy. But losing Love has now exposed how limited this offense becomes when scheme trumps common sense. Golden should be torching secondaries and drawing double coverage by now. Instead, he’s just waiting for small windows of opportunity.

The Ravens game in Week 17 approaches fast, and Jordan Love’s status is still murky. The offense needs weapons for Malik Willis if Love misses time. And LaFleur has one, a 23rd-overall pick waiting for a shot. Whether the coach finally listens might decide how far this team goes in January.