Kyle McCord throws 4 TD passes as
Packers beat Cardinals 42-38 in preseason finale
[August 29, 2026]
By STEVE MEGARGEE
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Kyle McCord wanted to prove this summer that
he could play in the NFL.
Now that he believes he's done that, the Green Bay Packers reserve
quarterback waits to learn whether he accomplished enough to earn a
roster spot.
“It's out of my control at this point,” McCord said after rallying
the Packers to a 42-38 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in their
preseason finale Friday. “I did everything that I could've to make a
case for myself. And so now we just wait and see.”
McCord got a chance to play the entire game Friday as the Packers
rested starting quarterback Jordan Love and backup Tyrod Taylor.
McCord responded by going 22 of 35 for 226 yards with four touchdown
passes, including two to Kisean Johnson in the last 3 1/2 minutes as
the Packers erased an 11-point deficit.
It was a major step forward for McCord, a 2025 sixth-round draft
pick who spent last season on the Philadelphia Eagles' practice
squad.
“He was just so poised in his ability to operate and function,”
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “He definitely has the demeanor, no
doubt about it. He’s in total control out there, and he’s willing to
stand in the pocket, deliver in the face of pressure.”
Neither team played its starters Friday in an attempt to stay
healthy for the regular season.
McCord threw a 28-yard strike to Johnson with 3:19 left that cut
Arizona's lead to 38-35 after Damien Martinez added a 2-point
conversion run. After Arron Mosby intercepted Kedon Slovis and
returned it to the Arizona 44, McCord found Johnson again for a
10-yard score with 20 seconds remaining.
“Was that not the most entertaining preseason game you’ve ever seen
in your life?” LaFleur asked rhetorically as he opened his postgame
news conference.
McCord led the comeback with help from Love, who called plays for
the Packers in the second half.
“He told me right before halftime, ‘They’re going to let me call the
plays in the second half,' ” McCord said. "I said, ‘Have you done
that before?’ He said, ‘Naw. We’ll see.’ He was great. He obviously
knows the offense like the back of his hand and called some really
good plays, especially there toward the end.”
Arizona's Gardner Minshew II, who will back up Jacoby Brissett this
season, went 7 of 9 for 126 yards and left the game after throwing a
41-yard touchdown pass to Simi Fehoko on the opening play of the
second quarter.
Slovis went the rest of the way and was 21 of 35 for 223 yards with
two interceptions and one touchdown pass. Arizona’s Evan Hull rushed
for 107 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown in the second quarter
and a 1-yard score in the third quarter.
This game featured plenty of big plays from receivers competing for
roster spots before Sunday's final cuts.
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Green Bay Packers' Kyle McCord throws during the second half of a
preseason NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Friday,
Aug. 28, 2026, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
Fehoko scored twice — he also had a 9-yard
touchdown catch in the fourth quarter — and finished with five
catches for 94 yards. Arizona’s Jalen Brooks caught four passes for
57 yards in the first quarter.
Green Bay’s Will Sheppard scored on an 81-yard punt return and
caught a 12-yard touchdown pass. J. Michael Sturdivant had six
catches for 112 yards and a touchdown for the Packers.
“These next 48 hours, you don’t really know what’s going to happen,”
Sturdivant said. “All the hay’s in the barn at this point. You’ve
just got to see what the coaches and everybody else is going to
decide to do and then go from there.”
Another Green Bay player who made a strong final impression in his
bid for a roster spot was Nyjalik Kelly, who intercepted Slovis to
set up a touchdown and also had a sack for the Packers.
Sibling rivalry
This represented the first time that Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur and
his younger brother, Arizona’s Mike LaFleur, had faced off in a game
as opposing head coaches. They also had squared off in a joint
practice Wednesday.
“It was cool," Mike LaFleur said. “I'm not going to sit here and say
it wasn’t. I’m glad it’s over. I’m glad the preseason is over. I am
glad that we are about to kick this thing off where these things
count.”
They weren’t the only siblings facing off Friday. Packers receiver
Bo Melton is the older brother of Cardinals cornerback Max Melton.
They met at midfield for the pregame coin toss.
Smack's stellar preseason
Packers rookie kicker Trey Smack concluded his successful preseason
by making field goals of 36 and 37 yards. In three exhibition games,
the sixth-round pick from Florida went 9 for 9 on field-goal
attempts, including three from 50-plus yards with a long of 59.
Injuries
Cardinals WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette was carted from the sideline to
the locker room after hurting his ankle in the third quarter.
Up next
Cardinals: Visit the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 13.
Packers: Visit the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 13.
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