The Good, Bad And Ugly From The Packers’ Preseason Win Over Arizona

Aug 29, 2026 10:20 AM - 1 hour ago 3

Pass rush.

Cornerback play.

The violative line.

Josh Jacobs.

The Green Bay Packers, who mislaid 5 consecutive games to extremity the 2025 season, vanished the preseason pinch much questions than they've had successful galore years.

The Packers surely didn't get galore answers Friday, erstwhile they sat 37 players — including backmost Jordan Love and each of their projected starters — for their 3rd and last accumulation game.

Green Bay won this affair, 42-38 a title that nary 1 will retrieve a fewer weeks from now. For the clip being, though, Packers eighth-year coach Matt LaFleur has “bragging rights” complete his small brother, Arizona rookie coach Mike LaFleur.

Green Bay must now group its 53-man roster by Sunday astatine 5 p.m. The Packers will past statesman readying for their Week 1 crippled astatine Minnesota connected Sept. 13.

Here’s the good, bad and disfigured from Green Bay’s win.

THE GOOD

WORTH A LONGER LOOK: It’s highly improbable the Packers will support 3 quarterbacks. That intends No. 3 Kyle McCord will astir apt beryllium released earlier Sunday night.

If the Packers tin get McCord to the believe squad, though, he’s worthy a longer look.

McCord continued his coagulated summertime Friday, going 22-of-35 for 226 yards pinch 4 touchdowns and nary interceptions for a passer standing of 119.5. McCord led the Packers to 2 touchdown drives successful the past 3 1/2 minutes, including the game-winner to Kisean Johnson from 10 yards retired pinch 20 seconds left.

McCord vanished his summertime 46-of-70 for 446 yards pinch 4 TDs, nary interceptions and a 102.44 passer rating.

“(McCord) doesn’t get a ton of opportunities successful the regular practices, and truthful erstwhile we get retired successful 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 excessively large for him. I deliberation he's, his profession successful assemblage has benignant of prepared him for this, and he's gone retired and he's a gunslinger, and he goes retired and he’s done a bully job.

TOUGH DECISIONS: Green Bay wide receivers Will Sheppard and J. Michael Sturdivant gave themselves astatine slightest a punchers chance to make the 53-man roster.

Sheppard, who spent past play connected the believe squad, caught a 12-yard touchdown walk from Kyle McCord midway done the 2nd 4th to necktie the game, 17-17. Then precocious successful the first half, Sheppard had an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown that was blocked magnificently good and the receiver was ne'er touched.

Sheppard besides caught a touchdown walk successful Denver connected Aug. 21 connected a nighttime he led Green Bay pinch six catches for 47 yards.

“He had a awesome offseason,” Green Bay wide receivers coach Jason Vrable said of Sheppard. “He came back, I thought, stronger, much confident. He's ever been capable to drawback the shot really well, and he's ever been a smart subordinate for us. So he's done a awesome job.”

Sturdivant, an undrafted free agent, had a large nighttime pinch six receptions for 112 yards and a 29-yard touchdown. Sturdivant's touchdown came erstwhile McCord faked a wide receiver surface to Sheppard, past delivered a dart betwixt 2 defenders to Sturdivant

Wideouts Christian Watson, Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed are locks to make the team. Savion Williams and Bo Melton will almost surely stick, and Skyy Moore is simply a bully stake to make the last 53.

While Sheppard and Sturdivant stay longshots to instrumentality around, they gave their coaches thing to deliberation about

SPECIAL TEAMS: Green Bay’s typical teams person been abysmal for the amended portion of 2 decades.

In truth the past clip the Packers vanished successful the top-10 of wide typical teams rankings was 2007, erstwhile they classed seventh nether coordinator Mike Stock.

Since then, Shawn Slocum, Ron Zook, Shawn Mennenga, Mo Drayton and Rich Bissacia person each tried — and grounded — to make Green Bay’s typical teams, well, special.

Granted, it’s conscionable the accumulation season, but things are looking up nether first-year coordinator Cam Achord.

In the past 2 weeks, Sheppard had an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown, while Pierre Strong had a 68-yard footwear return. Kicker Trey Smack went 9-for-9 connected section goals this summer. And the Packers held opposing punt returners to mean of conscionable 5.4 yards per return successful the 3 accumulation games.

The hyperactive Achord has brought renewed power to Green Bay’s typical teams units, and the early returns person been encouraging. Whether that carries complete into the regular play remains to beryllium seen.

“I effort to beryllium the aforesaid personification each day, whether that's tackling a pad, headbutting a guy, immoderate that whitethorn be,” Achord said. And I deliberation it's contagious a small bit. I really do.

“But I deliberation the astir important point is to beryllium yourself and beryllium genuine. I deliberation guys and group spot done that erstwhile you're not yourself aliases you effort to put connected a mirage. That's conscionable not maine and I deliberation the guys cognize that. They spot the excitement.”

NICE TO SEE YOU: Green Bay rookie protect extremity Dani Dennis-Sutton, who missed clip successful campy owed to power exhaustion, had a sack that helped slow the Cardinals’ opening drive. Dennis-Sutton ran an wrong stunt and sacked Gardner Minshew, which forced Arizona to settee for a 35-yard section extremity from Chad Ryland.

Dennis-Sutton besides had 2 backmost hits, showing immoderate of the reasons Green Bay took him successful the 4th information successful April.

THIS AND THAT: With Green Bay sitting astir half of its roster, John Williams, Donovan Jennings, Jager Burton, Travis Glover and Anthony Belton formed the Packers’ starting violative line. … Defensive tackle Anthony Campbell continued his awesome summertime pinch a sack. … Nyjalik Kelly had an interception aft Jaden Crumedy had a backmost pressure. Kelly besides had a sack and 3 tackles for loss. … TJ Quinn forced a fumble aft a Daniel Whelan punt. Quinn besides had 2 tackles for loss.

THE BAD

BUBBLE BURST?: Green Bay rookie sixth information draught prime Domani Jackson gave up a 41-yard touchdown to Arizona’s Simi Fehoko that gave Arizona a 10-3 lead connected the first play of the 2nd quarter.

Fehoko ran correct past Jackson, and Cardinals seasoned backmost Gardner Minshew threw a onslaught for an easy score

Jackson, fighting for a roster spot, surely didn't thief his cause. Green Bay wide head Brian Gutekunst has kept 10 of his 12 sixth information draught picks since taking complete successful 2018, but he’ll beryllium difficult pressed to support Jackson.

WAIT AND SEE: Green Bay sat cornerbacks Brandon Cisse, Keisean Nixon, Benjamin St-Juste and Carrington Valentine, and the starters for Week 1 astatine Minnesota stay unclear.

Cisse, the Packers’ 2nd information prime successful April, appears to beryllium a virtual fastener astatine 1 spot. Nixon, St-Juste and Valentine are battling for the different job, pinch Nixon the existent frontrunner.

It mightiness person been adjuvant to get 1 much chance to measure the corners, alternatively they were each fixed the nighttime off.

THIS AND THAT: Veteran violative lineman Darian Kinnard, fighting for a roster spot himself, had a 3rd 4th holding penalty. … Isaiah Neyor dropped what would person been a 65-yard, 3rd 4th touchdown. … Damien Martinez mislaid a 3rd 4th fumble that led to an Arizona touchdown. … The Cardinals held the shot for much than 37 minutes and outgained Green Bay, 492-282.

THE UGLY

PRESEASON GAMES: The Packers rested 37 players — each of their starters and respective cardinal backups.

And while Lambeau Field was astir full, the fans surely didn't get their money’s worth.

Season summons holders salary $109 for seats betwixt the 20-yard lines for preseason games. Endzone seats are $71.

Unfortunately for those fans, they person to bargain tickets to the preseason games if they want to acquisition regular play tickets.

When fans ammunition retired bully money, it’d beryllium bully to spot front-liners for astatine slightest a bid aliases two. Instead, coaches person go much and much terrified done the years of seeing their players getting wounded during mostly meaningless games successful August.

That intends the fans are watching a batch of players who will beryllium retired of a occupation by Sunday evening — and paying apical dollar to do so.