Taking place as part of tonight’s loaded 10-game slate of NFL preseason action, the Arizona Cardinals will take on the Green Bay Packers. This will mark the final preseason action for each side as competition for the final roster spots is solidified and the teams prepare for their opening week action.
Looking at the odds for the preseason matchup, the Packers enter as narrow 1.5-point favorites and hold -124 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Cardinals hold +104 odds of pulling off the upset, with the game total set at 36.5 points.
Cardinals at Packers prediction, pick
Arizona Cardinals preview
The Arizona Cardinals kicked off preseason for the entire NFL, falling to the Carolina Panthers in the Hall of Fame Game in a 33-30 thriller. Arizona got back in the win column in their second preseason action, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 27-14. Most recently, the Dallas Cowboys outscored the Cardinals 34-13. Due to their appearance in the Hall of Fame Game matchup, Arizona will join Carolina as the lone teams to be playing four preseason matchups, and they hold a 1-2 record to this point.
With this in mind, new head coach Mike LeFleur informed reporters that the majority of the starters will rest for tonight’s matchup. Joint practice this week proved to be enough of a tune-up for the team ahead of his NFL head coaching debut. Starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett attempted just five passes in the preseason, completing all five for 44 yards and a touchdown. Gardner Minshew has taken the bulk of the opportunities at quarterback, while Kedon Slovis and Carson Beck have each been given chances to attempt to find their NFL footing. Beck shined during the Hall of Fame matchup, but the 65th overall pick has been dealing with a rib injury since, which has limited his opportunity to make a push for the starting role. There also has been plenty of concern surrounding third overall pick Jeremiyah Love after he suffered a high ankle sprain during his preseason debut. Love is trending positively toward being available for the regular season opener, but will be held sidelined tonight.
Of the available bodies tonight, Minshew and Slovis will take the entirety of the quarterback snaps. Corey Kiver, Evan Hull, and Donovan Knight are expected to lead the rushing production, while Jalen Brooks, Rivaldo Fairweather, and Reginald Virgil will look to add to their strong preseasons at the wide receiver position. There are a few notable battles on the defensive side of the ball, with this game holding the potential to be the deciding factor as well. LeFleur left the door open for Josh Sweat to play a few snaps after the trade rumors have died down surrounding the star defensive end, but he did not fully commit to this. It would not be common practice for Sweat to play in this type of setting, but he has not had a traditional offseason as he just took the practice field for the first time this week.
Green Bay Packers preview
Matt LeFleur remains in place for his eighth season as head coach of the Packers and is looking to build off of a 9-7-1 record last season and the opening round postseason exit at the hands of the Chicago Bears. Green Bay suffered a 28-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in their opening preseason matchup. They got back in the win column in their second matchup against the Denver Broncos with a 33-13 victory. The Packers will look to finish the preseason strong with this being their third and final matchup ahead of the regular season start.
Green Bay will follow suit by resting most of their starters. Jordan Love has seen action in both preseason games to this point, completing eight of his 12 pass attempts for 74 yards and a touchdown in these opportunities. Veteran Tyrod Taylor has also seen some limited chances under center, completing eight of his 16 pass attempts for 38 yards and a score. Undrafted free agent Kyron Drones has had just one pass attempt to this point, leaving Kyle McCord to take the bulk of the preseason quarterback snaps. McCord spent time at Ohio State and finished his collegiate career at Syracuse before being selected with the 181st pick of the 2025 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. McCord remained on the Philadelphia practice squad last year and joined Green Bay’s roster this offseason. Expect him to see the bulk of the quarterback snaps tonight.
Beyond the quarterback, there are questions about the Packers’ outlook at the guard position on the offensive line. The wide receiver position is also not quite solidified, especially following the loss of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks this offseason, and the running back pecking order is still being fully established. Look for Pierre Strong, Damien Martinez, MarShawn Lloyd, Isaiah Neyor, and Will Sheppard to put forth their best auditions.
Cardinals at Packers best bet
While this matchup will be primarily for evaluation as the final few roster spots are decided, expect it to carry some significant bragging rights at family gatherings. This will be the first time that Mike and Matt LaFleur will face off with both as head coaches. The two have faced off twice in their respective careers to this point, with each occurring while Mike was the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams. There will also be some spirited conversations in the Melton household as Max Melton is a cornerback for the Cardinals while Bo Melton is a wide receiver for the Packers. It will be interesting to see how the matchups play out, but the two are expected to be lined up against each other at some point tonight.
Neither team has been particularly eye-popping thus far in preseason, and the outlook has been fairly equal between these two sides. They are 3-3 against each other across their past six meeting against each other, and both are 1-1 in their past two preseason games. The additional loss during the preseason due to the Hall of Fame matchup is worth noting, but also nothing to put major stock in.
Expect this to be a competitive matchup in which both coaches want it a bit more than is typically the case in preseason. But I am backing the Cardinals to pull off the upset on the road in this matchup. Gardner Minshew has the largest sample size of production of the quarterbacks set to take snaps under center, which should be viewed as comforting in this environment. Preseason is about the madness, and limiting the worst case scenario the way that Minshew is capable of is a major advantage in the outlook. Kedon Slovis has not exactly shined to this point, but his flashes are still impressive, and he has plenty of collegiate experience under his belt.
In contrast, Kyle McCord has had his ups-and-downs, and will likely be asked to do more than he has in any previous game tonight for the Packers. While he put up some impressive passing numbers across his final year of college at Syracuse, McCord also led the ACC in interceptions. He has not been punished yet in preseason, but this has had more to do with opposing defenses not being opportunistic enough.
The additional game that Arizona has played should serve as an advantage for this team getting on the same page. In addition, expect this to mean a bit more to Mike LeFleur as this is his first head coaching chance against his bother and a launching point for his first season. Minshew provides a little security at the quarterback position that does not exist on the other side of this matchup. Count this to be a competitive game, but for the Cardinals to act with a bit more desire to win and for this to show in the final score.
