Here Are the Three Things That Mattered From Packers’ Victory Over Cardinals

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The NFL preseason is complete. As Green Bay Packers receiver J. Michael Sturdivant said after his breakout performance against the Cardinals on Friday night, “All the hay’s in the barn at this point.”

The Packers beat the Cardinals 42-38. From a team perspective, it was irrelevant but wildly entertaining. From an individual perspective, it was incredibly important.

“I’m really, really happy for our guys,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think a lot of guys made it hard on us. There’s going to be some tough decisions, but ultimately that’s what you want to have. You want to feel like you have multiple guys that are deserving of roster spots.”

Here are the three things that matter with roster cuts looming.

Snap Counts

The Packers listed 37 players among their scratches. The mile-long list included starters, key backups and injured players. Three more players – Tyrod Taylor, MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks – were suited up but didn’t play.

Said LaFleur of Lloyd: “The more I thought about it, I was like, ‘Do we?’ You know, he’s had such a great training camp and, ultimately, I felt like it was best for the team.”

Here are some of the more interesting snap counts in terms of the roster bubble.

0: Jonnu Smith didn’t play. He’s officially not on the roster. By waiting, the Packers were able to have as many players on the field as possible for the game.

0: As if there were any doubt they were going to make it, edge Brenton Cox, tight end Josh Whyle and cornerback Carrington Valentine were among the healthy scratches.

0: In a sure sign he won the starting job at right guard, Jacob Monk didn’t play.

3: Green Bay’s top six receivers played three snaps – all by Bo Melton to start the game.

11: Is running back Pierre Strong going to make it as a fourth running back due to Josh Jacobs’ legal troubles? Who knows. He started but played only a couple of series.

18: Darian Kinnard, who was such an important backup last season, didn’t start against the Cardinals. Instead, he was a backup to all the backups who did start. He played eight snaps at right guard and 10 at right tackle, where he gave up a sack.

39: Mark Perry and Murvin Kenion might be battling for a fifth spot at safety. Perry played 39 snaps to Kenion’s 56. Tackling could give Perry the edge.

58: No edge player got more snaps than Nyjalik Kelly. He took advantage with one sack, three tackles for losses and one interception. In the preseason, Kelly led the team in sacks (two, tied with Anthony Campbell), pressures (eight) and tackles for losses (four).

“I think he’s made tremendous progress,” LaFleur said. “I think DC (DeMarcus Covington) does a great job with those guys, and it was cool to see him get extended action and out there making plays.”

83: Cornerback Jaylin Simpson played 83 of 85 snaps. Clearly, the coaches wanted a long look at him because sixth-round pick Domani Jackson played 34 and Shemar Bartholomew played 24.

“It was amazing, honestly,” he said of playing at Lambeau Field. “I just had so much fun tonight, man. Being under the lights, too, night game in Lambeau, you hear about it all the time, but it was genuinely a good Lambeau experience. I just had a lot of fun tonight. I was just out there having fun.”

95: That’s how many snaps linebacker TJ Quinn played between defense (69) and special teams (26), a rather incredible workload. He turned snaps into production with nine tackles and two tackles for losses on defense and one tackle and one forced fumble on special teams. Quinn’s not going to make the roster but he’s a quality prospect for the practice squad.

Seven Receivers?

Green Bay Packers wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant (87) catches a pass for a touchdown against the Cardinals. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The same is true with building an NFL roster. Every decision impacts another decision.

That’s especially true at receiver, where the Packers have big decisions to make.

There is no doubt that Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Skyy Moore and Bo Melton will make the 53-man roster. If/when Savion Williams is healthy after injuring an ankle at Denver, he’ll make the 53, as well.

That’s six. Even with a loaded, veteran-laden receiver corps last season, the Packers used 10 personnel – one back, four receivers – on just eight snaps, according to Sumer Sports. That’s right at the league average.

So, why on earth would the Packers keep seven receivers? Especially when the equal and opposite reaction would be going light at another position?

Because J. Michael Sturdivant was superb, that’s why. He caught six passes for 112 yards and one touchdown in the second and third quarters. He’s had a few of those types of days at practice, so it wasn’t just a fluke.

In most cases, the fear of losing a player on waivers is overblown. Most teams – maybe every team – has a version of Sturdivant or Will Sheppard on its training camp roster.

J. Michael Sturdivant is a WR prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 9.96 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 19 out of 4190 WR from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/OPOymFg1F3 pic.twitter.com/TcWjkLrmhH
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 16, 2026

However, even with receivers getting bigger and faster every year, Sturdivant is a rare prospect. He’s tall, fast and explosive. And now, he’s shown he can be productive. He had the most receiving yards by a Packers player in a preseason game since Chastin West in 2011.

In the long run, it’s easy to project Sturdivant being a better receiver than Melton and Moore, both of whom are in their fifth seasons in the league and really haven’t established themselves as consistent, productive playmakers. It’s that bet on upside that makes it worth taking him on the 53.

“It was a good day today for everybody,” Sturdivant said. “Ultimately, we don’t really get to decide anything. So, we just got to see what they think and see what happens on Sunday.”

Three Quarterbacks?

Do the Packers need three quarterbacks on the roster? The simple answer is no. The more complex answer is maybe.

Kyle McCord lit up the Cardinals on Friday night. He threw four touchdown passes – it might have been five had Isaiah Neyor not dropped a potential 65-yard bomb – and rallied the Packers to victory with two touchdowns in the final few minutes.

“He did a heck of a job, man,” LaFleur said. “He was so just poised in his ability to operate and function. He definitely has the demeanor, no doubt about it. He’s in total control out there.”

There is no question that Jordan Love will be the starter and Tyrod Taylor will be the backup. Maybe McCord is more talented than the 37-year-old Taylor, and he certainly was more productive in the preseason. But there’s no substitute for experience, especially if thrown into the first against a defensive mastermind such as the Vikings’ Brian Flores with limited or no practice reps – the reality for any backup.

However, Taylor is 37 and on a one-year deal. There, obviously, is no guarantee that he’ll be back in Green Bay next season. It’s been true all along that this year’s No. 3 quarterback will be in the pole position in the race to be the No. 2 next year.

“It’s been a goal since I signed here, to make the 53. I feel like my development here in the past whatever eight months since I signed here has been awesome,” McCord said after the game.

Losing a quarterback to waivers is rare. If the Packers were to release McCord and he were to get claimed, he’d have to learn a new offense and the new coaches might want to change the footwork and fundamentals he’s been working on since signing with the Packers at the end of last season. It’s just not the same as signing a running back or linebacker.

So, the guess is McCord will be released and will return to the practice squad to continue his growth.

What is undeniable is McCord is a baller. A sixth-round pick by the Eagles in 2025 after a prolific senior season at Syracuse, he’s got a legit chance to fill a critical niche on the roster.

“If you feel like you got three,” you keep three, LaFleur said. “I would say I think every year is a little bit different, and there’s a lot of tough roster decisions to make, so I think that’ll work itself out here in the near future.”

Here are our Packers roster projections.

From me: https://t.co/Q2a34M512O

From @JacobWestendorf: https://t.co/1tRpbeXD88
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 29, 2026

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