Matthew Golden moved one step closer to playing Thursday night, but Green Bay still did not clear the question that matters most. After being listed as an estimated DNP on Monday and Tuesday, Golden was upgraded to an estimated limited participant on Wednesday and remains questionable for the NFC matchup with the Carolina Panthers.
That is why the search for Is Matthew Golden Playing Tonight is so urgent now. Golden, who has shoulder and foot injuries, is one of the Packers' most productive pass catchers with 540 receiving yards, 15.0 yards per catch and three touchdown grabs, even though he also has a league-high seven drops according to TruMedia. He only missed one play in Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions, which is part of why Matt LaFleur sounded cautiously optimistic when asked if Golden would suit up, saying, “I sure hope so.”
LaFleur also said Green Bay is still “working through it” on a short week and that players are “not getting any real reps” because “everything's pretty much walk-through.” The Packers did not conduct an official practice Wednesday ahead of Thursday night, so Golden's upgrade matters less as a final answer than as a sign that he is trending in the right direction. His status will not become official until the Packers announce inactives 90 minutes before kickoff.
The unresolved piece is exactly what makes this feel like a game-time call. Green Bay is trying to sort out availability at multiple spots, with Travis Glover ruled out because of a knee injury and Kevin Zeitler expected to start at right guard in his place. At center, Adam Stenavich said he already knows who will start Thursday night but would not reveal the decision, after Sean Rhyan and Jacob Monk were both hurt on the opening drive Sunday and John Williams, a 2025 seventh-round pick out of Cincinnati, was forced into action at Ford Field despite never having played center in a game before and having taken no offensive snaps in his NFL career before that day.
For Golden, the practical answer is still waiting. Wednesday's upgrade gives the Packers a reason for hope, but not certainty, and the only verdict that counts will come when the inactives are released before kickoff.
