The Green Bay Packers had the early advantage in their joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals, but Arizona eventually got the better of Green Bay in the starters-vs.-starters portion of the session.
Neither team plans to play its starters in Friday's preseason finale, shifting the focus to the backups. That's another area where Arizona impressed during the joint practice, giving me confidence in the Cardinals heading into this matchup.
That has me backing Arizona in my Cardinals vs. Packers predictions for Friday night.
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Cardinals vs Packers prediction
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Who will win Cardinals vs Packers: Cardinals
The Green Bay Packers opened as a 74% favorite to get the win in the team’s final preseason contest. That has narrowed significantly, with Green Bay now holding the slimmest of advantages at 51-49%.
Kyle McCord is trying to win the Green Bay backup quarterback job from veteran Tyrod Taylor. McCord has been efficient but not spectacular in games, passing 24-of-35 for 230 yards, while Taylor has been a 50% passer. McCord hasn’t thrown any touchdowns, however. Both were shaky against the Arizona Cardinals’ defense in practice, throwing interceptions on their first attempts. McCord also missed a wide-open receiver on his second pass.
Arizona’s Gardner Minshew and Kedon Slovis have been much better in the preseason, giving the Cardinals a quarterback edge. Slovis was 9-of-10 in one game and 7-of-9 in another.
TOP PICK
Cardinals vs Packers Over/Under pick: Over 34.5
That point total is extremely low, and the probability is too high to really be interesting. If possible, I’d boost the total by two points and take Over 36.5 at 45%. Neither team has gone Over this preseason. The three Cardinals games have produced 63, 41, and 47 points, and only 28 points have come in the first quarters of those games. So the fact that the starters aren’t playing shouldn’t slow down the scoring.
The two Packers contests have produced 46 and 37 points, and both games have seen double-digit scoring in the fourth quarter.
The Packers identified “finishing games” as a priority after several high-profile collapses last season. They did just the opposite in the joint practice, starting fast and fading. So look for Green Bay to keep pressing the gas, even as the likely cuts take the field in the waning moments. Some late scoring should help keep this game Over.
COVERS INTEL: Minshew has been very efficient in his two preseason games, passing 33-of-39 for 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Slovis is 18-of-26 for 211 yards and one score. Minshew also threw a touchdown pass against Green Bay in the joint practice.Cardinals vs Packers trend to know
Including the preseason, Green Bay and Arizona have each gone Over in six of their last eight games.
Cardinals vs Packers live odds
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Cardinals vs Packers weather
The tundra is not frozen yet. Temperatures in Green Bay will be in the 70s at kickoff before potentially dropping into the high 60s. Conditions should be partly cloudy with little wind, so weather shouldn’t have much impact on the game.
How to watch Cardinals vs Packers
| Location | Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI |
| Date | Friday, Aug. 28, 2026 |
| Kickoff | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV | KPHO, WGBA |
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