The Arizona Cardinals had points, yardage and enough offense to feel good about on Friday in Green Bay. What they didn’t have was a finish.
Arizona closed its preseason schedule with a 42-38 loss to the Packers after surrendering an 11-point lead in the final five minutes. The Cardinals piled up 492 yards, but Kyle McCord’s four touchdown passes - including two to KiSean Johnson in the final 3:19 - swung the game away at the end.
The Cardinals started fast on defense, forcing a three-and-out to open the night. Eku Leota got in on the second snap with pressure and a quarterback hit, setting the tone for an Arizona defense that would still spend most of the night trading blows.
Arizona got on the board first after taking over on a Packers punt. Gardner Minshew completed four passes on the drive, three of them to Jalen Brooks, while Corey Kiner added 31 rushing yards. Chad Ryland finished it with a 35-yard field goal after Dani Dennis-Scott sacked Minshew to slow the march.
Green Bay answered with a 36-yard field goal, then the Cardinals jumped ahead again when Simi Fehoko continued his preseason surge. Minshew hit him for a 41-yard touchdown, his sixth touchdown catch in the last seven preseason games.
The Packers quickly erased that lead. McCord needed only two plays to do it, first finding J.
Michael Sturdivant for 36 yards and then connecting with him again on a 29-yard touchdown down the left sideline. It was a quick and clean response.
That touchdown ended Minshew’s night. Kedon Slovis took over, and Arizona began mixing in more new faces up front and at receiver, including Demontrey Jacobs, Oli Udoh, Christian Jones and Reggie Virgil.
Slovis’ first stretch included both a highlight and a mistake. Evan Hull ripped off a 47-yard touchdown run to put Arizona back in front 17-10, with Slovis adding 12 rushing yards on the drive. But after Jaden Crumedy hit Slovis, the quarterback’s throw for Rivaldo Fairweather was intercepted by Nyjalik Kelly at the Arizona 27.
Green Bay turned that takeaway into another tie, with Damien Martinez helping set up a 12-yard McCord touchdown pass to Will Sheppard. Then came the swing that looked like disaster for Arizona: Jack Browning’s first punt was returned 81 yards for a touchdown by Sheppard, and the Packers led 24-17.
The Cardinals did manage to trim that margin before halftime. After a stop and a failed Packers effort to drain the clock, Slovis moved Arizona with completions to Harrison Wallace, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Reggie Virgil and Rivaldo Fairweather before Ryland knocked through a 25-yard field goal to make it 24-20 at the break.
Arizona kept pressing after halftime. An 11-play drive opened the third quarter, highlighted by a 33-yard catch and run from Fairweather, and Ryland added a 27-yard field goal to cut the gap to one.
Then came a big defensive moment. Keveion'ta Spears punched the ball out of Damien Martinez’s arms, and Star Thomas recovered it at the Green Bay 27. Hull finished the short field with a one-yard touchdown run, then powered in the two-point conversion to make it 31-24 Cardinals.
Green Bay answered again with a 37-yard field goal, but Arizona stretched the lead once more when Fehoko scored his second touchdown of the night on a nine-yard pass from Slovis. He finished the drive with five catches for 94 yards and two scores.
There was also a roster-watch moment when Ihmir Smith-Marsette injured his ankle and was ruled out.
Then the game flipped for good. McCord hit Kisean Johnson on a 28-yard touchdown to pull Green Bay within 38-35 with 3:19 left, and Martinez converted the two-point try. Arizona then failed to salt the game away, and Slovis was intercepted by Arron Mosby after overthrowing Tre Stewart coming out of the two-minute warning.
That gave the Packers the ball at the Arizona 44 with 1:54 remaining, and McCord finished the job. He led a six-play drive capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass to Johnson with 20 seconds left.
Arizona still had one last shot, but Slovis’ Hail Mary was batted down short of the end zone. The Cardinals finished the preseason 1-3, and all three losses came with the defense allowing 33 or more points.
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