Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love was wearing the headset and holding a playcall sheet for long stretches during Friday night's preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals, and coach Matt LaFleur confirmed post-game that he provided Love -- who is now in his seventh season with the Packers -- a chance to call plays in an official capacity during the second half of the comeback win.
"One little nugget I'll give you guys, so Steno (offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich) called the first half, did an outstanding job, then we had J-Love call the second half," LaFleur said. "That was pretty cool, just hearing his demeanor on the headset and how cool, calm and collected he was throughout the entire game, especially in those critical moments.
And that's not a surprise to me because that's what we see on the field too."
LaFleur said he presented the idea to Love pre-game, so there was no preparation beforehand. Love jumped at the opportunity to call plays.
"He did an outstanding job," LaFleur said.
The second half got off to a rocky start for Love and the Packers, with a punt to open the third quarter and a fumble later on in the quarter. But Kyle McCord got hot in the fourth quarter, leading the Packers on three scoring drives, including a pair of touchdown drives after the Packers fell behind 38-27 with under five minutes to go.
McCord said Love told him of the unexpected playcaller change before halftime.
Kyle McCord on Jordan Love, offensive playcaller: "He told me right before halftime, ‘They’re going to let me call the plays in the second half.’ I said, ‘Have you done that before?’ He said, ‘Naw. We’ll see.’"
— weston hodkiewicz (@WesHod) August 29, 2026
"He was great. He obviously knows the offense like the back of his… https://t.co/hWCGZMkKb0
Love, who played in the first two preseason games and participated in Wednesday's joint practice, did not suit up for the preseason finale. McCord started and played the entire game, finishing with four touchdown passes, zero turnovers and a 119.6 passer rating.
Love finished the preseason completing 8 of 12 passes for 74 yards and one touchdown across two drives.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: QB Jordan Love called plays for Packers in second half of preseason finale
