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Cardinals surrender late lead in preseason loss to Packers
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- Cardinals surrender late lead in preseason loss to Packers
The Arizona Cardinals turned the ball over late, and the Green Bay Packers made the most of it to win 42-38 in a preseason NFL game on Friday, Aug. 28.
The game was less about the score than it was about players making their final cases to inclusion on an NFL roster.
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Cardinals turn the ball over again
11:12 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
The Cardinals' offensive line broke down, and the result was an interception thrown by Kedon Slovis . It was his second of the night.
Slovis is 19-for-31 passing for 206 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He was sacked twice and had a passer rating of 64.7.
The interception gave the Packers the ball at the Arizona 43.
Score: Cardinals 38, Packers 35 (1:54 Q4)
Simi Fekoho scores again
11:00 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
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Cardinals receiver Simi Fehoko has two catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He is battling for a roster spot.
Score: Cardinals 38, Packers 35 (3:19 Q4)
RB Evan Hull collecting yards
10:43 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
Cardinals running back Evan Hull has 12 carries for 96 yards and two touchdowns. His longest carry was for 47 yards.
He has been the primary back against the Packers. The other two backs, Corey Kiner and Tre Steward, have combined for 37 yards on 12 carries.
Cardinals get takeaway
10:22 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
Starling Thomas V , who is battling for a spot at cornerback, recovered a fumble in the third quarter.
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Arizona took over at the Green Bay 27.
Evan Hull did the work from there. Carries of 8, 14 and 4 yards set up the 1-yard touchdown carry.
The two-point conversion attempt by Hull was successful.
Score: Cardinals 31, Packers 24 (1:47 Q3)
Cardinals QB Kedon Slovis struggling
10:15 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
Kedon Slovis has had a rough outing. Early in the third quarter, Slovis has completed just 13 of his 23 attempts for 139 yards. He has been sacked twice and has thrown an interception. His QB rating is just 56.2.
Chad Ryland continues to be reliable
10:02 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland is 3-for-3 on field goals, with a long of 35 yards against the Packers. He is 2-for-2 on extra points.
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Score: Packers 24, Cardinals 23 (9:30 Q3)
Cardinals first-half stats
09:38 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
Quarterback Gardner Minshew was 7-for-9 for 126 yards and a touchdown in two series. Kedon Slovis was 9-for-16 for 91 yards with an interception.
Jalen Brooks led receivers with four catches for 57 yards. Simi Fehoko had just one catch on three targets, but it went for a 41-yard TD.
A host of other players — Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Rivaldo Fairweather , Reggie Virgil, Elijah Higgins and Harrison Wallace — each made two catches.
Evan Hull carried the ball seven times for 69 yards and a touchdown. Corey Kiner played two series and had five carries for 35 yards.
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Score: Packers 24, Cardinals 20 (Halftime)
Packers run back punt
09:21 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
Jack Browning 's punt went for 50 yards to the Green Bay 19.
The return by the Packers' Will Sheppard went for an 81-yard touchdown.
Score: Packers 24, Cardinals 17 (4:06 Q2)
Slovis throws INT
09:08 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
The good will QB Kedon Slovis might have earned with his 47-yard touchdown pass may have been erased by an interception on the next possession.
Facing second-and-6 from the Arizona 20, Slovis targeted Rivaldo Fairweather, but Nyjalik Kelly was able to intercept the ball just off the grass.
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Two plays later, the Packers scored when Will Sheppard took a short pass from Kyle McCord and sliced through the Cardinals' defense for a 12-yard touchdown.
Score: Cardinals 17, Packers 17 (7:44 Q2)
Kedon Slovis in at QB for Cardinals
08:53 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
Kedon Slovis entered at quarterback for the Cardinals. He was 1-for-2 for 6 yards in his first series.
The possession ended with a 47-yard touchdown run by Evan Hull.
Score: Cardinals 17, Packers 10 (10:48 Q2)
Packers even score
08:50 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
Two plays after the Cardinals scored the game's first touchdown, the Packers responded with their own.
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Kyle McCord completed a 29-yard pass to J. Michael Sturdivant . That came right after the pair teamed up for a 36-yard reception.
Score: Cardinals 10, Packers 10 (13:22 Q2)
Jalen Brooks v Simi Fehoko
08:43 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
Two of the Cardinals' receivers battling for a roster spot made their cases early against the Packers.
Jalen Brooks caught all four of his targets for a total of 57 yards in the first quarter. The total is one more than his total receptions for the three previous preseason games combined.
Fehoko had just one catch. It came on the first play of the second quarter and went for a 41-yard touchdown pass from Gardner Minshew.
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Score: Cardinals 10, Packers 3 (14:54 Q2)
Jalen Brooks on fire early
08:39 PM ET, August 28 2026, Theo Mackie
Wide receiver Jalen Brooks has been one of the Cardinals' standouts of preseason, and the finale has been no exception. Brooks finished the first quarter with four catches for 57 yards, establishing himself as Gardner Minshew's preferred receiver. He's won in a variety of ways, too, including on a comeback route down the sideline and on a dig route over the middle. At this point, it's hard to imagine how the Cardinals would leave Brooks off their 53-man roster.
Is Trey Smack worth drafting?
08:32 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
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The Green Bay Packers thought kicker Trey Smack was worth picking in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.
Will he be good for fantasy football rosters in 2026?
In the preseason, Smack is perfect. He has kicked three successful extra points and is 5-for-5 on field goals, with a long of 59 yards and an average of 48 yards.
Corey Kiner making highlight reel
08:24 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
Cardinals running back Corey Kiner is making his case to be on an NFL roster after the weekend.
Kiner had four carries for 31 yards, including a long of 16 during the Cardinals' first drive. Those totals don't include a 10-yard run that was negated when the Cardinals accepted an offsides penalty by the Packers.
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Is Gardner Minshew regular-season ready?
08:19 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
Is Gardner Minshew ready for the regular-season opener?
The play-by-play announcers seemed to think so. And for most of the Cardinals' first drive against the Packers, it was easy to believe it.
Minshew completed the first four passes he attempted. Then came an incompletion, then a 10-yard loss on a sack.
The Cardinals ended up settling for a 35-yard field goal off the foot of Chad Ryland.
Score: Cardinals 3, Packers 0 (8:00 Q1)
What channel is Arizona Cardinals vs Green Bay Packers game on? Time, TV schedule
08:02 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
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TV channel:CBS 5 (in Arizona), TMJ4 (in Milwaukee), NBC 26 (in Green Bay)
Start time:Friday, Aug. 28, at 5 p.m. MST (Arizona), 8 p.m. ET
How to watch Arizona Cardinals vs Green Bay Packers game on livestream
06:37 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
The Cardinals vs Packers game can be streamed on services that carry CBS 5 in Arizona, including FUBO , which offers a free trial.
Who are the announcers for the Arizona Cardinals vs Green Bay Packers NFL preseason game?
05:17 PM ET, August 28 2026, Emily Horos
J.P. Shadrick (play-by-play) and A.Q. Shipley (analyst) are scheduled to be the announcers for the Cardinals broadcast of the NFL preseason game against the Packers.
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Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and John Kuhn (analyst) will be the announcers for the Packers broadcast of the NFL preseason game against the Cardinals.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals surrender late lead in preseason loss to Packers
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