The Green Bay Packers are preparing to take on the Carolina Panthers on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 8, marking the second time they have played an NFC South team on a short week this season.
This time around, there are questions about whether the Packers will have one of their top wide receivers, Matthew Golden, at their disposal for the game.
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Golden is dealing with shoulder and foot injuries that have cast doubt on his availability for Thursday’s game against the Packers.
Golden has appeared in all seven Packers games so far in 2026. He has enjoyed a breakout season, tallying 36 catches for 540 yards and three touchdowns, though he has committed a league-high six drops.
Here’s what to know about Golden’s status for the Packers’ Week 8 game against the Panthers and how Green Bay may replace him if he cannot play.
Golden is officially listed as “questionable” for the Packers’ Week 8 “Thursday Night Football” matchup with the Panthers due to shoulder and foot injuries.
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The Packers have not yet indicated whether Golden will suit up. However, it’s worth noting he was able to log a “limited” practice session on Wednesday after being listed as a non-participant in both Monday’s estimated injury report and Tuesday’s actual practice session.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur was asked whether Golden would be available Thursday during a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
“I sure hope so,” LaFleur responded. “But again, we’re still kind of working through it.”
LaFleur also pointed out that the nature of the short week would lead to most sessions being a walkthrough, so his players wouldn’t get “any real reps” in advance of the game.
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“We will have a short indie tomorrow, but to move guys around to see how they look,” LaFleur said, describing the team’s practice procedures. “But certainly hopeful for [Golden].”
J. Michael Sturdivant is listed as Golden’s primary backup on the Packers’ official depth chart. The undrafted rookie from Florida has played sparingly through six games, notching three catches for 22 yards, all of which came in Green Bay’s Week 3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
But while Sturdivant is listed as Golden’s backup, Savion Williams and Bo Melton have each logged more snaps than the Florida product. As such, those two may be more likely to fill in for Golden across from Christian Watson if the former Texas star can’t play.
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Below is a full look at the Packers’ pecking order at receiver, based on their snap counts from the 2026 NFL season:
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Christian Watson
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Matthew Golden
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Savion Williams
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Bo Melton
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J. Michael Sturdivant
Williams has played exactly 40 offensive snaps for the Packers in each of their last two games and has logged seven catches for 79 yards. The TCU product missed the first five games of the season with an ankle injury and may see the biggest uptick in targets if Golden can’t play.
Jordan Love could also look in the direction of running back Josh Jacobs or tight end Tucker Kraft in the event of a Golden absence.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Matthew Golden playing tonight? Injury update for Packers WR
