Three Biggest Matchups, Players, Phases, Questions for Packers-Cardinals

The Green Bay Packers will begin a two-week road trip in Arizona against the Cardinals on Sunday. Here are three key players from each team, a look at the three phases for the Cardinals, and three keys to a Packers win.

Trey McBride runs upfield against Xavier McKinney during the Packers-Cardinals game in 2024. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Green Bay Packers (3-1-1) will follow their home win against the Cincinnati Bengals by visiting the Arizona Cardinals (2-4) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Sunday. Here’s everything you need to know for the first game of the Packers’ road trip. 

Time, TV, Weather for Packers-Cardinals 

Date and Time: Sunday, Oct. 19, at 3:25 p.m. 

TV: Fox Sports, with Kenny Albert on the call joined by Jonathan Vilma with Jen Hale on the sideline. Will the game air where you live? 

Betting Line: Packers are 6.5-point favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook. 

Weather: Sunny with a high of 88, according to accuweather.com. 

Matchup History: The Packers lead the series 46-24-4 and have won the last two games. The Packers are 18-4-4 as the away team and are 9-3 against the Cardinals since they moved to Arizona. 

Packers-Cardinals: Three Players to Watch for Arizona 

1. S Budda Baker 

Longtime Cardinals standout Budda Baker was second in the NFL in tackles last season with 164, which was 18 more than any other safety in the league. 

Baker has been one of the best safeties in the NFL, earning All-Pro honors four times – once on special teams and three times as a safety. He has had a slower start to the season with only 41 tackles, which is third on the Cardinals. 

Baker will be tested against the Packers, who are finding their stride on offense both on the ground and in the air. Receiver Matthew Golden has gotten better every week, most recently having a career-high 86 receiving yards and 16 rushing yards. Josh Jacobs also had a great game against the Bengals, finishing with 150 total yards and two rushing touchdowns. 

As the last line of defense to contain the explosive Golden as well as being one of the NFL’s best run-stopping safeties, Baker will have a tough task ahead of him against the Packers offense. 

2. QB Kyler Murray 

Kyler Murray, who was inactive last week due to a foot injury, has not had a great start to the season through the air and will now have to go against the Packers defense, which is ranked 11th against the pass and No. 1 in yards allowed per passing attempt.

Murray is averaging 192.4 passing yards per game, which is ranked 27th in the NFL among starting quarterbacks. He is 22nd in passer rating and 30th in air yards per attempt and per completion.

He makes up for his lack of passing yards by leading the Cardinals in rushing, with 173 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. Despite his rushing ability, he may struggle on the ground against the Packers’ defense, who have only allowed 18 rushing yards from quarterbacks through five games. 

3. TE Trey McBride 

Trey McBride is a top tight end in the NFL, ranking second at his position in receiving yards this season after catching 111 passes for 1,146 yards last year. This year, he leads the Cardinals in targets (53), receptions (37) and receiving yards (347). 

While the Packers have been good against the pass, tight ends have led opposing teams in receiving yards in three out of five games. 

McBride averages 57.8 yards per game, which is right around the total that the Packers’ secondary allows to tight ends, which is 59.6. With receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. potentially out with the concussion he sustained last week against the Colts, McBride will be looked at to lead a potentially depleted Cardinals offense that will line up without their top two running backs as well as their quarterback.

Packers-Cardinals: Three Players to Watch for Green Bay 

1. WR Matthew Golden 

After a slow start to his rookie season, Matthew Golden has been picking it up the last few weeks, culminating with a 102-total-yard performance against the Bengals. 

Golden is third on the Packers in targets, receiving yards and yards per game. Of the nine players with at least four catches, he’s No. 1 with 15.0 yards per reception.

With the way he has improved over the last three games and the growing connection between him and Jordan Love, Golden has a good chance to get his first score this week against the 28th-ranked Cardinals passing defense. 

2. DE Rashan Gary 

Rashan Gary has been one of the better defenders on the Packers this season, posting 4.5 sacks, 18 tackles and four tackles for losses. 

The Cardinals’ offensive line has struggled to contain pass rushers this season, with Kyler Murray taking 16 sacks, the seventh-most in the NFL. Gary is coming off one of his worst games of the season statistically. His two quarterback hits were his only statistical contributions.

One of the big issues with the lack of pressure from the defensive line the last two games has been the loss of defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, who had two sacks in the first two games of the season. Wyatt’s ability to create pressure up the middle helped free up Gary and Micah Parsons on the edge. 

Wyatt, who dropped out of the Week 4 tie against Dallas in Week 4, is questionable to return this week against the Cardinals.

3. CB Keisean Nixon 

Keisean Nixon has quietly been one of the better corners in the NFL this season. With two pass breakups last week against the Bengals, he ranks second in the league with nine. No other Packers player has more than two.

Nixon had a tough matchup last week against the Bengals. Getting a lot of work against Bengals All-Pro Ja’Marr Chase, Pro Football Focus charged Nixon with five receptions allowed out of nine targets for 45 yards and one touchdown, good for a 106.3 passer rating. He also committed three penalties.

Nixon will look to have a bounce-back game against a depleted and struggling Cardinals offense, with the status of quarterback Kyler Murray and receiver Marvin Harrison (22 receptions for 338 yards and two touchdowns) up in the air.

Packers-Cardinals: The Three Phases 

Cardinals on Offense 

The Cardinals last season were 12th in the NFL in scoring and 11th in total offense, finishing with an 8-9 record. They have been significantly worse this season, ranking 20th in scoring and 22nd in total offense with a 2-4 record, sitting at the bottom of the NFC West. However, they are sixth on third down and seventh in goal-to-go situations. 

The team was led by quarterback Kyler Murray before an injury sidelined him for their Week 6 matchup with the Colts. In five starts, Murray threw for an average of 192.4 yards per game with six touchdowns and three interceptions. With Murray injured, veteran Jacoby Brissett threw for 320 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in almost pulling off the upset.

The Cardinals’ rushing attack is near the middle of the pack at 17th in the NFL in yards per game with 113.2. Their struggles stem from injuries, with two-time Pro Bowler James Conner and young backup Trey Benson on injured reserve.

Their passing game ranks 24th. It is led by tight end Trey McBride, who leads the team in receiving yards with 347 with two touchdowns, followed by second-year receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with 338 yards and two touchdowns. 

Cardinals on Defense 

The Cardinals are 24th in the NFL in total defense with 348 yards allowed per game.

While they are 28th against the pass with 246.0 yards allowed per game, they are a more manageable 11th with 6.23 yards allowed per attempt and are tied for 11th with four interceptions. Safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson leads the way with two, and linebackers Baron Browning and Mack Wilson Sr. have one apiece. Wilson has a team-high six passes defensed.

The Cardinals’ pass rush has struggled to get to the quarterback. They are tied for 24th with 11 sacks and 28th in sack percentage. Josh Sweat, who was one of the keys to the Eagles’ Super Bowl championship last year, was signed in free agency and ranks sixth in the league with five sacks. Ageless defensive tackle Calais Campbell ranks sixth among defensive tackles with three.

Their run defense has been strong, allowing 102 yards per game, which ranks 13th. Led by linebackers Wilson (team-high 50 tackles) and Akeem Davis-Gaither and All-Pro safety Budda Baker, they have allowed only five rushing touchdowns. The Colts’ Jonathan Taylor gained 123 yards on 21 attempts last week.

Cardinals on Special Teams 

The Cardinals’ kicker is Chad Ryland, who is 10-of-12 on field goals. The misses were a block by the Saints in Week 1 and a 57-yarder against the 49ers in Week 3. He is a perfect 14-of-14 on extra points. 

After an injury to their punter in Week 5, the Cardinals signed former Packers punter Pat O’Donnell ahead of their Week 6 matchup against the Colts. He was called on twice, averaging 46 yards per punt with no returns and one inside the 20-yard-line. 

The main returner is receiver Greg Dortch, who has returned 13 kickoffs for an average of 26.3 yards and nine punts for an average of 12.2 yards. Running backs Bam Knight (22.1-yard average on eight returns) and Emari Demercado (28.7 average on three returns) have joined Dortch on kickoff returns.

In coverage, the Cardinals are 21st on kickoffs (26.7) and eighth on punts (8.3).

Packers-Cardinals: Three Keys to Victory 

1. Put the Cardinals Away Early 

While the Packers have done well in getting out to early leads, the defense has struggled to put teams away after taking the lead. The Packers have given up 60 points in the fourth quarter. Only three teams – the Cardinals among them – have given up more points.

With the Cardinals’ injuries and struggles on defense paired with how hot the Packers offense has been, the Packers should be positioned to jump out to another early lead. If they do, the defense needs to hold it down in the second half in order to keep them from making a late comeback, like the Bengals almost did last week. 

2. Taking Care of the Ball 

Jordan Love has been one of the better quarterbacks this season when it comes to taking care of the football, throwing only two interceptions through five games.  

The interception at Cleveland was pivotal in the upset loss. The interception last week against Cincinnati on third down in the red zone, with Love throwing behind Romeo Doubs and into good coverage, with the result a deflection and interception. While Green Bay’s defense did its job, the turnover prevented the Packers from taking an early lead.

For the most part, though, Love has been one of the more consistent and accurate quarterbacks this season, and that needs to continue against the Cardinals. 

3. Getting Takeaways 

The Packers have been polar opposites of their 2024 selves on the defensive side of the ball. Through five games last season, the defense had 14 takeaways. This year, they have only two. They are the only team to have not forced a fumble. Following Jordan Love’s interception, the Packers’ turnover differential dipped into the negatives. 

The Cardinals have struggled a bit to take care of the ball, throwing four interceptions and fumbling away the ball three times to rank 16th with seven turnovers. The Packers’ secondary has been itching for another turnover, and they should have some chances this week to make plays against whoever lines up at quarterback for Arizona. 

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