Green Bay Packers duo Watson, Golden off to historic 2026 start
GREEN BAY 1 Green Bay Packers receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden continued a torrid start to the 2026 season in the club’s 31-7 victory over the Chicago Bears, Packers.com reported Oct. 23, 2026. Watson finished the game with 6 catches for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Golden had 6 receptions for 123 yards. The pair became the first Green Bay wideouts in a decade to each post 6-or-more catches and 120-or-more receiving yards in the same game. After the win, Watson texted Golden to congratulate him and to note that they were “gonna be the best in the league,” according to the team story.
The two have combined for 1,039 receiving yards, the most of any receiving tandem in the NFL through the first six games, according to the team report. Golden enters the contest with 30 catches for 501 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns, and Watson has 29 catches for 538 yards and 6 receiving touchdowns. The duo is the first in team history to both register 25-or-more catches, 500-or-more receiving yards and 3-or-more receiving TDs in the first six games of a season.
Watson and Golden are averaging 17.6 yards per reception as a tandem, and they are the first teammates to post 500-or-more receiving yards with an average of at least 16.5 yards per catch in the first six games of a season since Cleveland’s Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow in 2007, the Elias Sports Bureau noted in the team story. While six games does not make a season, the team report projects Jordan Love toward more than 4,700 passing yards, with Watson and Golden trending toward roughly 1,500 and 1,400 receiving yards, respectively. Those projections come from the team report and reflect current pace rather than final outcomes.
Golden’s emergence as a primary playmaker has been evident since the Packers moved on from Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks in the offseason and after Jayden Reed suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 2. Golden recorded his third straight home game with at least 100 receiving yards in the recent win, becoming the first Packers wideout to do so since Davante Adams in 2021. Watson said he sent Golden a congratulatory message after the Chicago game and that the pair are “chasing infinity” in their approach, per the team story. A Packers safety praised their speed and the challenge they present to opposing defensive backs, saying, “It’s different. You see the speed.”
The Packers have battled drops at times; Watson had a touchdown graze off his hands against Dallas and Golden had multiple chances for additional scores in that contest, the team report noted. Golden said there were “a lot of plays left out there” but added he expects to make those plays consistently. Green Bay will carry its passing momentum to Detroit for a Sunday NFC North game, and the team activated running back Josh Jacobs from the commissioner’s exempt list Monday, making him eligible for that matchup. Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard told the team report that Detroit has produced 20 sacks and praised Love’s deep pass as a significant challenge for his unit.
NFL Sports Blog Take
Watson and Golden have formed an exceptionally productive pairing through six games and have pushed Green Bay toward a more vertical, big-play passing identity. Their combined yardage and yards-per-catch efficiency are verifiable and have forced opponents to account for their speed and deep-threat ability. The activation of Josh Jacobs could provide more balance to the offense and help reduce reliance on chunk plays, but the upcoming trip to Detroit will be an early test of whether NFC North opponents can limit those explosive opportunities. If Watson and Golden maintain this pace, both are positioned to challenge their previous career bests and remain central to the Packers’ offensive outlook down the stretch.