Packers Close Preseason with Thrilling Win Over Cardinals as Roster Deadline Looms

Green Bay Packers quarterback Kyle McCord had a big night against Arizona Friday.

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Pass rush. Cornerback play. The offensive line. Josh Jacobs. The Green Bay Packers, who dropped five straight games to close the 2025 season, entered the offseason with more uncertainty than they have faced in years.

Friday’s preseason finale against Arizona provided few definitive answers. Green Bay held out 37 players — including quarterback Jordan Love and every projected starter — for the third and final exhibition contest.

The Packers emerged with a 42-38 victory, a game unlikely to linger in the memory beyond the next few weeks. For now, eighth-year head coach Matt LaFleur holds bragging rights over his younger brother, Cardinals rookie head coach Mike LaFleur.

Green Bay must finalize its 53-man roster by Sunday at 5 p.m. ET before turning its attention to a Week 1 showdown at Minnesota on September 13.

Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from Green Bay’s preseason finale.

THE GOOD

WORTH A LONGER LOOK: The Packers are unlikely to carry three quarterbacks, meaning No. 3 Kyle McCord will probably be released before Sunday night. However, if Green Bay can stash McCord on the practice squad, he merits further evaluation.

McCord capped a strong summer Friday, completing 22 of 35 passes for 226 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, posting a 119.5 passer rating. He engineered two touchdown drives in the final 3½ minutes, including the game-winner — a 10-yard strike to Kisean Johnson with 20 seconds remaining.

McCord finished the preseason 46-of-70 for 446 yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 102.4 passer rating.

“(McCord) doesn’t get a ton of opportunities in regular practices, and so when we get out in these games and he gets these opportunities … he’s taking advantage of it, and he’s done a really, you know, the moment’s not too big for him. I think his career in college has kind of prepared him for this, and he’s gone out and he’s a gunslinger, and he goes out and he’s done a nice job,” LaFleur said.

TOUGH DECISIONS: Wide receivers Will Sheppard and J. Michael Sturdivant at least punched a ticket into the roster conversation.

Sheppard, who spent last season on the practice squad, caught a 12-yard touchdown from McCord to tie the game at 17-17 midway through the second quarter. Late in the first half, he returned a punt 81 yards for a score — untouched thanks to a wall of blocking.

Sheppard also caught a touchdown in Denver on Aug. 21, leading Green Bay with six catches for 47 yards that night.

“He had a great offseason,” Packers wide receivers coach Jason Vrable said. “He came back, I thought, stronger, more confident. He’s always been able to catch the ball really well, and he’s always been a smart player for us. So he’s done a great job.”

Sturdivant, an undrafted free agent, posted six receptions for 112 yards and a 29-yard touchdown. His score came on a well-executed misdirection: McCord faked a screen to Sheppard before delivering a dart between two defenders to Sturdivant.

Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, and Jayden Reed are roster locks. Savion Williams and Bo Melton are near certainties, and Skyy Moore remains a strong bet. While Sheppard and Sturdivant remain long shots, they gave the coaching staff plenty to consider.

SPECIAL TEAMS: For the better part of two decades, Green Bay’s special teams have been abysmal. The last time the Packers finished in the top 10 in overall special teams rankings was 2007, when they placed seventh under coordinator Mike Stock. Since then, Shawn Slocum, Ron Zook, Shawn Mennenga, Mo Drayton, and Rich Bisaccia all tried — and failed — to elevate the unit.

Granted, it is only the exhibition season, but early returns under first-year coordinator Cam Achord are encouraging.

Over the past two weeks, Sheppard posted an 81-yard punt return touchdown, Pierre Strong added a 68-yard kick return, and kicker Trey Smack went a perfect 9-for-9 on field goals. Green Bay held opposing punt returners to a 5.4-yard average across three preseason games.

Achord’s high-energy approach has injected new life into the units. Whether that translates to the regular season remains to be seen.

“I try to be the same person every day, whether that’s tackling a pad, headbutting a guy, whatever that may be,” Achord said. “And I think it’s contagious a little bit. I really do. But I think the most important thing is to be yourself and be genuine. I think guys and people see through that when you’re not yourself or you try to put on a mirage. That’s just not me, and I think the guys know that. They see the excitement.”

NICE TO SEE YOU: Rookie defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, sidelined earlier in camp by heat exhaustion, announced his presence with a sack that stalled Arizona’s opening drive. Dennis-Sutton ran an inside stunt to drop Gardner Minshew, forcing a 35-yard field goal. He added two quarterback hits, flashing the pass-rush upside that made him a fourth-round pick in April.

THIS AND THAT: With nearly half the roster sidelined, John Williams, Donovan Jennings, Jager Burton, Travis Glover, and Anthony Belton formed the starting offensive line. … Defensive tackle Anthony Campbell continued his impressive summer with a sack. … Nyjalik Kelly intercepted a pass after pressure from Jaden Crumedy, adding a sack and three tackles for loss. … TJ Quinn forced a fumble on a Daniel Whelan punt and recorded two tackles for loss.

THE BAD

BUBBLE BURST?: Sixth-round rookie cornerback Domani Jackson surrendered a 41-yard touchdown to Arizona’s Simi Fehoko on the first play of the second quarter, giving the Cardinals a 10-3 lead. Fehoko blew past Jackson, and Minshew delivered a perfect strike for the easy score.

Jackson, fighting for a roster spot, did not help his cause. General manager Brian Gutekunst has retained 10 of his 12 sixth-round picks since taking over in 2018, but keeping Jackson will be a difficult sell.

WAIT AND SEE: Green Bay rested cornerbacks Brandon Cisse, Keisean Nixon, Benjamin St-Juste, and Carrington Valentine, leaving the Week 1 starters at Minnesota unclear.

Cisse, the team’s second-round pick in April, appears locked into one starting role. Nixon, St-Juste, and Valentine are competing for the other, with Nixon the current frontrunner. An additional evaluation opportunity would have been valuable; instead, all four sat.

THIS AND THAT: Veteran offensive lineman Darian Kinnard, also on the roster bubble, committed a third-quarter holding penalty. … Isaiah Neyor dropped a would-be 65-yard touchdown in the third quarter. … Damien Martinez lost a third-quarter fumble that set up an Arizona touchdown. … The Cardinals controlled the ball for over 37 minutes and outgained Green Bay 492-282.

THE UGLY

PRESEASON GAMES: The Packers rested 37 players — all projected starters and several key backups. Despite a near-sellout at Lambeau Field, fans did not get their money’s worth.

Season-ticket holders pay $109 for seats between the 20-yard lines for preseason games; end-zone seats run $71. Those tickets are mandatory purchases for anyone wishing to retain their regular-season seats.

When fans pay premium prices, they deserve to see front-line players for at least a series or two. Instead, coaches have grown increasingly risk-averse, terrified of losing key contributors to injury in largely meaningless August games.

The result: fans watch rosters full of players who will be unemployed by Sunday evening — and pay top dollar for the privilege.

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