The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers will square off in Week 3 of the NFL preseason tonight. Kickoff is set for in 8:00 p.m. ET from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The game will broadcast live on NFL+.
The Packers are 1.5-point favorites over the Cardinals on the spread (Packers -1.5), with the over/under set at 35.5 total points. Green Bay is a 51-cent favorite to win outright, while Arizona is priced at 49 cents to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Cardinals vs. Packers predictions and NFL picks for Friday, August 28.
My Cardinals vs Packers Prediction
- Cardinals vs Packers pick: Cardinals to Win (49 cents)
My Cardinals vs. Packers prediction is Arizona to win the game. Make sure to grab the best price using our Polymarket promo code.
Cardinals vs Packers Odds
Cardinals vs Packers NFL Preseason Preview
Arizona Cardinals Preview: The More Motivated LaFleur Brother
The Arizona Cardinals enter their preseason finale with an offense that has been humming at a high level. Despite dropping a 34-13 decision to the Cowboys last week, Arizona has still scored 27 or more points in two of its three exhibition outings.
With starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett resting and rookie Carson Beck dealing with a rib injury suffered in the Hall of Fame Game, the bulk of the snaps will belong to Gardner Minshew and Kedon Slovis.
Minshew represents one of the most reliable and experienced backup options in the entire league. Boasting 47 career regular-season starts, Minshew brings legitimate NFL caliber to exhibition play.
That experience has been on full display this month, as Minshew has completed a staggering 33-of-39 pass attempts (84.6%) for 278 yards, two touchdowns, and just one interception.
Once Minshew exits, Slovis has proven capable of keeping the offense on schedule, completing 18-of-26 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over.
Collectively, Arizona’s quarterback room has completed nearly 80% of its passes for over 240 yards per game. Throw in the added motivation of head coach Mike LaFleur looking to plant his flag against his older brother Matt in the inaugural "LaFleur Bowl," and Arizona brings both superior QB depth and subtle urgency to Friday night.
Green Bay Packers Preview: Expect Heavy Reps for McCord
The Green Bay Packers saw their preseason public perception surge a little bit following an impressive 33-13 blowout victory over the Broncos last week.
However, that lopsided result masks a roster rotation that remains very conservative in exhibition games under head coach Matt LaFleur.
Jordan Love will sit alongside the rest of Green Bay's primary starters. Furthermore, veteran backup Tyrod Taylor seems to have already secured the QB2 job, and given Taylor's lengthy injury history, Green Bay has kept his work limited for most of the summer, logging only 16 total pass attempts across two preseason games.
That leaves second-year QB Kyle McCord to handle the vast majority of the workload under center.
While McCord has been pretty steady through two appearances — completing 24-of-35 passes for 220 yards without a turnover — he has yet to throw a touchdown pass and lacks the experience and upside demonstrated by Arizona's reserve signal-callers this preseason.
McCord's efficiency pales in comparison to Minshew's performances, and McCord offers little edge over Slovis late in the game.
With the Packers coming off a big win and Matt LaFleur having much less to prove in an exhibition setting, Green Bay's offensive ceiling appears notably lower than public sentiment suggests.
Cardinals vs Packers Prediction, Analysis
This matchup aligns with our Bet Labs system titled "NFL Preseason: Small Unpopular ‘Dogs ATS, Bet ML." This strategy targets small underdogs catching between 0 and 5.5 points that hold under 41% of public ticket support.
In the chaotic preseason environment, public perception routinely overreacts to single-week scoring margins. By taking the moneyline on overlooked underdogs in tight-spread settings, bettors capitalize on market mispricings driven by public bias than actual on-field execution.
When opening lines were released, Green Bay was originally a 1.5-point underdog in this game. However, after the Packers' lopsided win over Denver and Arizona's loss to Dallas, the market flipped to Packers -1.5.
Our internal tracking shows early public action heavily skewed toward Green Bay, drawing 76% of bets and 93% of total money.
This public sentiment has driven Arizona’s support well below the 41% system threshold.
In reality, the wrong team is likely favored here.
Arizona possesses the superior backup quarterback tandem in Minshew and Slovis, an offense averaging over 240 passing yards per game through three preseason games, and the LaFleur brother who seems to have more personal incentive to compete.
We'll fade the public overreaction and back the Cardinals on the moneyline.
Pick: Cardinals to Win (49 cents)
