GREEN BAY, Wis. — Friday night might’ve been one of the most electrifying preseason games you’ll ever see. Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur certainly agrees.“Was that not the most entertaining preseason game you’ve ever seen in your life?” he began his postgame news conference. “Eighty points!”LaFleur and the Packers beat his little brother, Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur, 42-38, and now it’s time for the chopping block.Rosters must be trimmed to 53 players by 5 p.m. CT on Sunday. Here’s one final projection of what that group will look like.Top Plays from Cardinals @ PackersOffenseQuarterback (2): Jordan Love, Tyrod TaylorReleased: Kyle McCordThe social media streets are probably rampant with calls for McCord to pass Taylor on the depth chart, but that’s not happening. Two things can be true at once: McCord played quite well in preseason games, most notably his four-touchdown barrage on Friday night, and also, Taylor is better suited to back up Love. It’s important to remember that NFL defenses are more vanilla than ice cream in the preseason. They’ll be far more complex when the games count.Kyle McCord was 22 of 35 for 226 yards and four passing touchdowns in Friday’s win over the Cardinals. (Mark Hoffman / Imagn Images)Taylor, 37, has seen every look under the sun. He might not have McCord’s upside at this point, but he can operate an offense and help the Packers tread water if Love goes down. He’s probably the safer option, and that’s important. Should McCord make it through to the practice squad, he can continue to develop there. The Packers haven’t kept three quarterbacks since 2020, when they kept Tim Boyle because Love wasn’t ready to back up Aaron Rodgers yet and they couldn’t release their first-round pick.“We brought Tyrod in here for a reason and we’re very happy we have him,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said on Wednesday.Side note: LaFleur revealed that Love called plays in the second half against the Cardinals. The Packers scored 18 points in the fourth quarter and erased an 11-point deficit with less than five minutes remaining.“A lot more calm,” LaFleur said of Love. “I think I learned something from him today.”Running back (3): Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris BrooksReleased: Pierre Strong Jr., Jaden Nixon, Damien MartinezWe wait to see if Jacobs will be suspended before roster cutdown day or Week 1, if at all. The Brown County District Attorney formally charged him with misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property on Thursday, but the NFL has yet to levy discipline and the case is still ongoing. If the league suspends him after cutdown day but before the season starts, the Packers will likely have Strong on the practice squad and can call him up if they don’t bring someone in from outside the building.“You gotta let everything play out,” LaFleur said of Jacobs’ situation, “but I anticipate him being a member of our football team.”Wide receiver (6): Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Skyy Moore, Savion Williams, Bo MeltonReleased: J. Michael Sturdivant, Will Sheppard, Isaiah Neyor, Kaden Prather, Kisean Johnson, Chris Hilton Jr.Sturdivant and Sheppard certainly made their cases for roster inclusion late in camp. Sturdivant, an undrafted rookie, caught six passes for 112 yards and a touchdown on Friday night, while Sheppard caught a touchdown for a second straight week and also returned a punt 81 yards for a score. I’ve yet to be impressed by Williams in Green Bay, but he was a third-round pick last year and isn’t getting cut. Moore will be the team’s primary returner and Melton is a jack-of-all-trades locker-room favorite. I don’t think the Packers take seven receivers, but Sturdivant and Sheppard both deserve a spot if they do. Sturdivant especially has opened eyes all camp, but a lot of teams have skill players who flash in the summer. He probably has less of a chance to be claimed on waivers than you think.“It’d be a dream come true,” Sturdivant said of potentially making the team. “You dream of making it to the NFL your whole life. Honestly, you put all the work in to make it happen, so it would be a great feeling. But it’s not the end goal. My dream wasn’t just to make the team for a day.”Tight end (3): Tucker Kraft, Josh Whyle, Jonnu SmithReleased: Drake Dabney, Messiah Swinson, McCallan Castles, Thomas YassminPUP: Luke MusgraveThe arrival of Smith, the 31-year-old who played for LaFleur on the Tennessee Titans in 2018, means Dabney hits the road in this projection (the Packers have yet to officially announce Smith’s signing). They’d better pray to the heavens that Kraft doesn’t get hurt again, if only because what they have behind him is still quite underwhelming.Offensive line (10): Jordan Morgan, Aaron Banks, Jager Burton, Sean Rhyan, Jacob Monk, Anthony Belton, Zach Bako-Bewele, John Williams, Donovan Jennings, Travis GloverReleased: Darian Kinnard, Dalton Cooper, Dillon Wade, Dylan Barrett, Josh Gesky, Brant BanksKinnard was Green Bay’s swing tackle last year, but playing in the third quarter of the preseason finale as a veteran isn’t a good sign. The Packers might rather take a flier on the upside of Glover, who missed all of last season with an injury.DefenseInterior defensive line (6): Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Javon Hargrave, Chris McClellan, Anthony Campbell, Jonathan FordReleased: Nazir Stackhouse, Jaden CrumedyPUP: Jordan RileyIR: Warren BrinsonI don’t know for certain that Brinson will land on injured reserve. It’s more of a guess because I needed to clear one spot on the 53 and I don’t think they take seven interior defensive linemen, but I couldn’t bring myself to cut Campbell or Ford after the preseasons they’ve had. Brinson injured his calf warming up for the second preseason game and has been out since. LaFleur said “to be determined” Friday night when asked whether the currently injured trio of Brinson, Savion Williams and edge Collin Oliver could miss substantial time to begin the season.“I feel like my odds are pretty high to make this team and contribute to this football club this year,” Ford said.Edge (5): Lukas Van Ness, Brenton Cox Jr., Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, Dani Dennis-SuttonReleased: Nyjalik Kelly, Aaron Mosby, Arden WalkerPUP: Micah ParsonsKelly had a really nice preseason finale. There have been some “47” scribbles in my notebook this summer, too, because of standout plays from the undrafted rookie out of Central Florida in practice. Assuming he makes the practice squad, his potential is enticing. If Oliver lands on IR, Kelly should make the 53. Dennis-Sutton, the rookie fourth-round pick, made his preseason debut Friday after missing two games with a heat-related illness and did so with a bang. With more time on task, he could crack the Parsons-less rotation.Nyjalik Kelly tackles Cardinals running back Tre Stewart on Friday. (Tork Mason / Imagn Images)Linebacker (5): Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Nick NeimannReleased: Kristian Welch, TJ QuinnThis group is pretty cut-and-dried. Not much to see here.Cornerback (6): Brandon Cisse, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Benjamin St-Juste, Kamal Hadden, Domani JacksonReleased: Jaylin Simpson, MJ Devonshire Jr., Shemar BartholomewJackson is a rookie sixth-round pick out of Alabama who missed time in camp while recovering from offseason core muscle surgery. He played poorly on Friday night, most notably missing a couple of tackles on the same drive and allowing a 41-yard touchdown on a deep corner route. However, Gutekunst has only released two of his 12 sixth-round picks on roster cutdown day since becoming GM in 2018.Safety (4): Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Kitan OladapoReleased: Mark Perry, Murvin Kenion III, Tra Fluellen, Trey Dean IIIPerry had some nice moments this summer, but he can be a game-day elevation if need be. Bullard, Oladapo and Hadden will be the team’s three slot defenders this season.Special teamsKicker: Trey SmackSpecial teams coordinator Cam Achord said he cares more about Smack’s kicks in stadiums than on the practice field. Good thing, too, because Smack had a rocky summer at Ray Nitschke Field but made 9-of-9 field goals in preseason games, including makes from 51, 58 and 59 yards.Punter: Daniel WhelanWhelan looked like he was in midseason form on Friday night.Long snapper: Matt OrzechReleased: Cal AdomitisThis one is interesting. Orzech (calf) hasn’t come off the PUP list yet, but the Packers have indicated his return is near. Does he need much of a ramp-up before Week 1? Even if he’s still not ready come Sunday, could the Packers take him off the PUP list to keep him on the 53 and keep Adomitis on the practice squad to use in practice until Orzech is ready?