The Green Bay Packers kept Jordan Love off the field in their preseason finale, but Matt LaFleur still found a way to put his starting quarterback in a pressure situation.
Love called Green Bay’s offensive plays for the entire second half of Friday night’s 42-38 win over the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field, taking over the headset from offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich with no advance preparation.
The surprise assignment turned into a successful first crack at play-calling.
With Love directing the offense, third-string quarterback Kyle McCord helped Green Bay erase an 11-point deficit in the final minutes and capped the comeback with a touchdown pass with 20 seconds remaining.
LaFleur revealed after the game that the idea came together shortly before kickoff. He asked Love if he wanted to handle the second half, then checked again to make sure his quarterback was serious.
Love’s simply answered with an affirmative, taking on the challenge.
LaFleur Praises Love After Surprise Play-Calling Debut
LaFleur said Stenavich “did an outstanding job” calling the first half before the Packers turned things over to Love. The head coach sounded particularly impressed by how little the change affected Love’s demeanor.
“That was pretty cool, just hearing his demeanor on the headset and how calm, cool and collected he was,” LaFleur said after the win.
That composure mattered late.
Green Bay trailed 38-27 with less than five minutes remaining before McCord found Kisean Johnson for a 28-yard touchdown. After a two-point conversion cut the deficit to three, the Packers got the ball back and Love remained in charge of the calls.
McCord then connected with Johnson again, this time on a 10-yard touchdown with 20 seconds left, giving Green Bay a four-point lead it would keep.
The Packers’ official recap credited McCord with 226 passing yards and four touchdowns on 22-of-35 passing. He finished the preseason with 446 yards, four scores and no interceptions, fortifying his case to survive final roster cuts.
Love’s role made the finish even more uncommon. He had never called plays before, and LaFleur said he intentionally gave him no time to prepare.
McCord Gives Strong Review After Love’s Comeback Calls
McCord learned about the change shortly before halftime and admitted he was curious about how his new play-caller would handle it.
“He was great,” McCord said during his postgame interview. “He obviously knows the offense like the back of his hand.”
McCord added that Love called “some really good plays,” particularly during the late comeback.
The experiment also displayed LaFleur a alternate way to evaluate the quarterback who already controls a bunch at the line of scrimmage.
Love has been in Green Bay’s system since 2020 and is coming off arguably his most efficient regular season as a starter. He completed a career-high 66.3% of his passes in 2025, throwing for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions while posting a 101.2 passer rating.
Green Bay gave Love a bit of work on the field this preseason. He completed 8 of 12 passes for 74 yards and one touchdown across two appearances, including a 12-play touchdown drive against Denver.
Friday gave him something helpful but out of the ordinary.
LaFleur’s offense revolves around Love’s ability to process information quickly, communicate adjustments and keep steady when situations get messy. Calling plays from the sideline required many of those same traits from a new perspective.
All in all, the Packers will care much more about what Love does when Week 1 arrives.
Packers’ Jordan Love Gets New Role During Preseason Finale