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GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Kyle McCord wanted to prove this summer that he could play in the NFL, and did just that after rallying the Packers to a 42-38 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in their preseason finale Friday.
McCord got a chance to play the entire game 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.
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.
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 goals, including three from 50-plus yards with a long of 59.
Up next
Packers: Visit the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 13.