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.
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.
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.
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.
Cardinals WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette was carted from the sideline to the locker room after hurting his ankle in the third quarter.
Cardinals: Visit the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 13.
Packers: Visit the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 13.
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