Packers and Cardinals even at 3 after first quarter in Green Bay preseason matchup

Green Bay’s preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals remained tightly contested early, with the teams finishing the first quarter knotted at 3 points. The Packers got on the board with a Trey Smack field goal from 36 yards, a clean early contribution that set the tone for Green Bay’s special-teams unit in the opening period.

The Cardinals answered with defensive pressure of their own as both sides continued to work through early-game execution. For the Packers, the most notable defensive moment came when Dani Dennis-Sutton recorded a big sack of Cardinals quarterback Gardner Minshew, creating momentum and disrupting Arizona’s rhythm on a key series.

Preseason games often serve as a proving ground for players competing for roster spots, and first-quarter swings like a field goal and a high-impact sack can matter disproportionately. A kicker’s distance and accuracy, especially on an opening quarter attempt, gives a coaching staff a concrete data point while also settling the sideline and the tempo when the offense is still finding its pace.

Defensively, sacks are also treated as a report, not just a statistic. Dennis-Sutton’s takedown of Minshew is the type of play that can elevate a player’s day in coaches’ eyes, because it combines pressure with a clear outcome, forcing later-down decisions and potentially shifting the matchup inside the scheme.

For the quarterbacks and offensive coordinators, the opening quarter pattern tends to reveal how quickly games will slow down or speed up. While the score was tied, the Packers’ ability to convert three points and Arizona’s ability to generate a sack-free or sack-filled stretch would become clearer as the second quarter unfolds.

As the game progresses, the balance between Green Bay’s early scoring and its defensive stops will likely shape the deeper rotation. Preseason matchups typically ask teams to evaluate both new looks and familiar roles, and a 3-3 first quarter suggests neither side had a decisive edge that would force the other to abandon their early plan.

The next stretch to watch is how Arizona responds to pressure after the Dennis-Sutton sack and whether Green Bay can build on its early field-goal drive with touchdowns later in the game. In a preseason context, the scoreboard matters, but so does what each sideline does on its next series after an early tie.