Packers Week in Review: A 42-38 Thriller, a Quarterback Traded, and the 53 Are Set

The preseason is over, the roster is set, and the opener is 11 days away. It was the busiest week of the offseason — a wild finish at Lambeau, thirty players cut, a quarterback traded two days after the best game of his career, and the Micah Parsons question finally answered on paper. Here’s all of it.

42-38, and the Backup Quarterback Won It

The preseason finale against Arizona turned into the most entertaining game of the three by a distance. Green Bay rested Jordan Love and Tyrod Taylor, handed the whole game to Kyle McCord, and he went 22-of-35 for 226 yards and four touchdowns — including two to Kisean Johnson in the last three and a half minutes to erase an 11-point deficit.

Arizona still got a Hail Mary off at the buzzer. It got batted down by a crowd of green and gold.

Matt LaFleur beat his little brother Mike in their first meeting as head coaches. Undrafted rookie receiver J. Michael Sturdivant picked the right night for six catches, 112 yards and a touchdown — hold that thought.

Then They Traded Him

Two days after the four-touchdown game, McCord was traded to the Miami Dolphins for a 2028 sixth-round pick.

It reads harsh, but the logic holds up. Resting Taylor in the finale had already settled the QB2 job — the veteran was always going to be Love’s backup. That left McCord as a player Green Bay would almost certainly have lost on waivers for nothing. Turning him into a draft pick was the better outcome for everyone, McCord included: he lands somewhere he might actually play.

Tyrod Taylor is QB2. McCord got a fresh start and the Packers got an asset. Fine business.

Trey Smack Finished the Preseason Perfect

Two field goals against Arizona, from 36 and 37. That closes the book on a preseason where the rookie went 9-for-9, with three makes from 50-plus and a long of 59.

Three weeks ago he was 8-for-13 in camp and his job looked genuinely uncertain. He is now the least worrying thing about this football team.

Cutdown Day: 30 Players Released

Green Bay got to 53 on Sunday. Per Packers.com, they kept six receivers and seven defensive linemen — an aggressive split that cost some well-regarded players their spots.

The receiver room: Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Bo Melton, Skyy Moore, and — the genuine surprise — undrafted rookie J. Michael Sturdivant, who was a standout all summer and closed with that 112-yard night. Released: Will Sheppard, Isaiah Neyor, Kaden Prather, Chris Hilton, and Kisean Johnson, who caught two touchdowns in the final four minutes of the preseason and got cut two days later. That’s the brutal arithmetic of the 53.

Savion Williams landed on injured reserve with an ankle injury and will miss at least four games — a real blow for a receiver who was in line for a rotational role and return duties.

Also to reserve lists: Luke Musgrave (neck) and Jordon Riley on reserve/PUP, Collin Oliver on IR/designated for return.

Micah Parsons: Officially Out Until Week 5

The move everyone expected became official. Parsons went on reserve/PUP, which by rule keeps him out for the first four games:

Week 1 — at Minnesota
Week 2 — at N.Y. Jets
Week 3 — vs. Atlanta
Week 4 — at Tampa Bay

He’s eligible to return from Week 5 onward. The date circled on everyone’s calendar is still Week 6 at Lambeau against Dallas — his former team, on Sunday Night Football. Nine months after tearing his ACL chasing Bo Nix, that would be a hell of a way to come back.

Practice Squad

Green Bay lost exactly one player on waivers: defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse, claimed by Tennessee. Everyone else cleared, and several came straight back — Murvin Kenion III, sixth-round pick Domani Jackson, and Pierre Strong Jr. among the early practice squad re-signings. Teams can carry 16 this year.

Next Up: The Real Thing

Week 1 — Sunday, Sept. 13, at the Minnesota Vikings. 3:25 p.m. CT / 5:25 p.m. Brasília time, on CBS.

A road opener against a division rival, without your best pass rusher. Eleven days.

Go Pack Go. 💛💚

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