Packers-Cardinals Matchups: Who Has the Advantage?

The Green Bay Packers will return home to host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Here are the unit-by-unit matchups. Which team has the edge?

The Green Bay Packers will have to contend with Arizona Cardinals dual-threat quarterback Kyler Murray on Sunday at Lambeau Field. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

With games against the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions on the horizon, the Green Bay Packers can’t afford to look past Sunday’s home game against the Arizona Cardinals.

While the Cardinals are only 2-3, they lost at Buffalo by six points in Week 1 and upset the 49ers in San Francisco on Sunday. On offense, the Cardinals rushed for 169 yards. On defense, they held the 49ers to one touchdown in six red-zone possessions.

Here is a closer look at this week’s matchups.

Pass Offense

The Cardinals’ offensive engine is powered by quarterback Kyler Murray.                 

Murray has been up and down in his NFL career but is off to a good start with 972 passing yards seven touchdowns and just two picks. His passer rating is a ninth-best 99.1.

If there’s one big flaw in his play style, it is his propensity to believe in his arm and athleticism. That leads to him holding onto the ball, which can result in him taking sacks.

The Packers’ pass rush likely will return to its mush-rushing ways, like they had the first two weeks of the season against Jalen Hurts and Anthony Richardson.

The goal will be to keep Murray in the pocket because, once he’s outside of it, he can be devastating because of his arm talent and elite athleticism.

The pass catchers in Arizona start with their rookie sensation.

If you want to feel old, you probably remember Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison catching passes from Peyton Manning with the Colts in the mid-2000s.

Cardinals rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. earned the nickname “Maserati Marv” during his time with the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Harrison Jr. was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2023 and might have been the best player in this year’s draft.

Time will tell if he reaches elite status in the NFL. For now, though, he is the Cardinals’ best receiver. With 17 receptions, he leads the team with 279 yards and four touchdowns.

He might draw the assignment of Jaire Alexander, who could be set to return this week after missing the last two games with a groin injury.

Receiver Michael Wilson has 19 receptions for 216 yards and tight end Trey McBride has a team-high 20 receptions for 175 yards after catching 81 passes last year.

The Packers’ strongest point has been taking the ball away. They lead the league with 14 turnovers forced, including a second-ranked nine interceptions.

Murray only has thrown two interceptions. The Packers will likely need to be much better outside of turnovers in order to slow down this passing attack.

Advantage: Cardinals.

Rush Offense

Green Bay was bludgeoned by the Rams’ run game on Sunday. Kyren Williams finished with 102 yards on 22 carries. Highlighted by a 30-yard run, he mostly had his way against the defense.

Even without an athletic quarterback to stress the defense, the Rams tallied 134 rushing yards. Murray will add another element to challenge Green Bay. On designed runs, he’s averaging more than 10 yards per attempt. Including scrambles, he’s run for 247 yards on just 23 carries. Essentially any time he carries it, he gets first-down yardage.

James Conner is the leading man for the Cardinals’ backfield. After rushing for 1,040 yards last year, he’s posted a solid 4.6-yard average this year.

Thanks to Murray’s explosive runs, the Cardinals rank third with 5.55 yards per carry. Green Bay’s defense is 16th with 4.43 yards allowed per carry.

The Packers are going to need to be much better against the run than they’ve been for most of the year.

Advantage: Cardinals

Pass Defense

There should be opportunities for the Packers against a defense that ranks 29th with 7.71 yards allowed per attempt.

The Cardinals’ defense can get into some interesting things with Jonathan Gannon as their head coach and leader of their defense.  They do not have the personnel, however, that he had while he was defensive coordinator in Philadelphia.

The Cardinals have 11 sacks. Former Packers linebacker Krys Barnes is second with two.

One phase in which the Packers must improve is taking care of the football. The Cardinals have only four interceptions. Garrett Williams, who mans the slot, has been their best cornerback with one interception and a 49.8 passer rating allowed, according to Pro Football Focus.

The perimeter corners are Sterling Thomas, who has allowed a 119.9 rating, and Sean Murphy-Bunting, who has allowed a 102.1 rating. Rookie Max Melton, the brother of Packers receiver Bo Melton, played a season-high 32 snaps last week and has been charged with four completions in four targets.

Veteran Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson are the safeties. A six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, Baker is seeking his first interception since 2022 but has a team-high 52 tackles.

The Packers should be able to be better in protection this week. Plus, they could get two of their top targets back with the return of receivers Romeo Doubs (suspension) and Christian Watson (ankle).

The Packers typically don’t feature players in the offense, but the 49ers run a similar offense to Green Bay’s and found some success by featuring Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle in the passing game. Those two combined for more than 200 receiving yards.

Could Packers coach Matt LaFleur decide to try something similar with Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft?

Reed is a different player than Aiyuk but is their most dynamic receiver. Kraft and Kittle are both playmakers after the catch.

Advantage: Packers

Rush Defense

After conceding some carries to Emanuel Wilson the previous two weeks, Josh Jacobs returned to a lead role against the Rams, taking 19 of the 25 carries between the two players.

The Packers’ run game wasn’t as dynamic as it had been to start the season, but it was effective enough against the Rams because of their hard-charging running (3.6 after contact for Jacobs and 4.2 for Wilson).

This week, they’ll face an Arizona defense that is 28th against the run (147.8 rushing yards per game) and 20th in yards allowed per carry (4.65). Linebacker Kyzir White, who is second with 42 tackles, and Baker are excellent run defenders but the defensive line is weak.

Sunday’s game could be one in which both teams try to establish dominance on the ground.

Advantage: Packers

Special Teams

Punter Daniel Whelan had probably overtaken Keisean Nixon as the team’s biggest weapon on special teams until Whelan struggled against the Rams.

If you need time to get a snack or something, a kickoff against the Packers is the perfect time. Nixon has one attempt through five games, including none the last four. It might not happen this week, either, as the Cardinals have allowed only three kickoff returns.

Both teams have questions at kicker.

Cardinals veteran Matt Prater, who is 6-for-6 on field goals and 10-for-10 on extra points, was inactive last week because of a knee injury. Chad Ryland, who was terrible as a rookie with the Patriots last year and worked out for the Packers last week, made 3-of-4 attempts last week (the miss was a block).

Even at age 40, Prater’s got a great leg; he was 9-of-12 from 50-plus yards last year with a long of 62.

Packers rookie Brayden Narveson, who was mocked on the national broadcast, with CBS’s Jim Nantz calling him “Nervous Narveson,” made all three of his PATs and a 46-yard field goal before halftime.

The Cardinals’ special teams were the middle of the pack last season, according to Rick Gosselin’s special teams rankings.

Blake Gibson averages 49.7 yards per punt, though opponents are averaging 10.7 yards per return.

DeeJay Dallas is a dangerous returner. He had a 96-yard touchdown against Buffalo and is averaging 34.5 yards per return. Greg Dorsch has an 8.2-yard average on punt returns.

The Cardinals uncertainty at kicker makes this match a little more even than it might appear at first glance.

Advantage: Push

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