The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense hasn’t met expectations this season. It was supposed to be one of the best units in the league, but instead, it’s struggled to find consistency. That was evident in their game last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, who almost put up 500 total yards of offense against the Steelers. Their secondary in particular struggled. This week, against the Green Bay Packers, Mike Renner expects rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden to have a breakout performance.
“I think this is the Matthew Golden game,” Renner said recently on his Pushing the Pile podcast. “When you watch him on tape the past couple of weeks, he looks like their best receiver. That’s obviously with Jayden Reed out, but he looks like a guy that can get open at will.
“And I think against these corners, he’s going to be the mismatch because of that speed that he brings to the table that guys like Romeo Doubs just don’t. So that vertical threat, I think you have some big plays there, Matthew Golden.”
Golden was the Packers’ first-round pick earlier this year. While they had a lot of depth at receiver, injuries have hurt them there. Reed suffered an injury in Week 2 that forced him on to injured reserve. Christian Watson has also yet to play this year. He’s supposed to suit up against the Steelers, but Dontayvion Wicks is out.
That lines Golden up to have more opportunities this week. However, he popped up on the injury report recently with a hip injury. While he’s expected to play, that could limit him.
If Golden is good to go, though, then he could be a problem for the Steelers. He started the year off slowly, but he’s been heating up recently. In six games this year, Golden has caught 18 passes for 249 yards. Renner is correct to highlight his big-play ability. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Golden ran a 4.29 40-yard dash. He’s a true homerun threat.
At times, the Steelers’ secondary has had problems stopping explosive plays. Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Andrei Iosivas all had big plays against the Steelers last week. Before that, other players like Jordan Addison found success downfield against the Steelers’ defense.
Therefore, Golden could be a problem this week. Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and Joey Porter Jr. need to be sharper against the Packers than they were against the Bengals. If they aren’t, this game could get out of hand quickly.
