The Cardinals walked out of Week 7 with a 30-16 loss to the Broncos and a 2-5 record, and the final margin doesn’t really tell the whole story. Denver controlled the second half, and Arizona spent most of the day trying to keep up rather than dictating anything.
One of the biggest concerns was the defense, which slid right back toward familiar problems after last week’s strong showing in Los Angeles. The Cardinals allowed 30 points to a Denver offense that had been struggling, and Bo Nix looked comfortable enough to give Arizona trouble. Under Jonathan Gannon’s defense, the Cardinals have now given up 30 or more points in five of seven games this season.
There were a few individual positives mixed into the mess. Darius Robinson continued what has quietly become a solid 2026 season, adding a sack on Nix - his second of the year - and finishing with four tackles, tied for third on the team. That’s the kind of production Arizona needed from a former first-round pick trying to move past the “bust label” that followed him through his first two years.
At the same time, the backend did not hold together. With multiple safeties unavailable, Garrett Williams was the main answer next to Budda Baker at safety, even though the Cardinals chose to move their best available corner there instead of using Dadrion Taylor-Demerson.
It didn’t work for long. Williams missed a tackle on a Broncos explosive pass and was also charged with a deep coverage bust on another play, then gave way to Taylor-Demerson and saw only limited action after that.
The running game also stayed thin, with Jeremiyah Love out again and Bam Knight carrying the load. Knight did drop a touchdown pass in the first half, but he still turned in a respectable day with seven carries for 48 yards, a 6.9 yards-per-carry average. Arizona just didn’t give him many chances to build on it.
Penalties were another ugly part of the afternoon. There were flags everywhere at State Farm Stadium, with 20 total penalties for more than 170 yards. That kind of stop-and-start game can wreck any rhythm, and both teams came into the day already sitting in the bottom half of the league in total penalties.
Trey McBride helped Arizona find some life on offense, ending the Cardinals’ red zone issues with a seven-yard touchdown catch from Jacoby Brissett. After scoring only once over his previous four games, McBride responded with a big line: 10 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Brissett, though, couldn’t build on the momentum from last week’s game-winning drive against the Rams. He finished 27 of 48 for 272 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, but the offense was limited again, especially near the goal line.
He also took a pounding, absorbing 13 quarterback hits and two sacks. Entering the game, he had one of the NFL’s fastest average times to throw, but Denver was in his face early and often.
That pressure was no accident. Arizona’s line was already in a tough spot with a rookie seventh-round pick at left tackle and what the article described as their effective fourth-string right guard, and it went up against a Broncos front seven that had 60 pressures through six games entering the day. Brissett had to deal with duress all afternoon, and the line simply couldn’t protect him.
Even with the loss, the day carried one special moment. At halftime, Larry Fitzgerald was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor, spoke to the crowd, and saw his No. 11 immortalized in Arizona history. For fans who never got the chance to watch him officially say goodbye after his 2020 retirement, it was a memorable moment on a frustrating afternoon.
In Other News...
Cardinals Right Back In A Frustrating Spot After Broncos Loss
A trip to Denver only deepened the frustration for Arizona, which dropped a 30-16 decision and slid to 2-5 in a game that followed a familiar script. The defense gave up 377 yards and too many chunk plays, while the offense could not turn enough possessions into points, leaving the Cardinals chasing the game for most of the afternoon.
Jacoby Brissett finished just over 56 percent of his passes for 272 yards, but Arizona still came away with only one touchdown on five trips inside the 20-yard line. Trey McBride again gave the passing game a steady target with 10 catches for 111 yards and the lone score, yet the Cardinals are still left looking for a way to make those opportunities count when they need them most. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Keep Moving The Ball But One Problem Is Getting Worse
The Cardinals had enough offense to stay in the game for stretches against Denver, moving the ball well enough to create chances and getting solid play from key contributors like linebacker Jack Gibbens and tight end Trey McBride. Even in a 30-16 loss, there were individual performances worth pointing to, which is part of what makes this stretch so frustrating for Arizona.
The bigger issue is that the same problems keep showing up in different forms. The rushing attack still hasnt found much traction, the pass rush remains inconsistent and the offense keeps leaving points on the field when it gets close to scoring range. Add in the penalty issues, and it becomes harder for the Cardinals to turn decent drives into the kind of finish that changes a game. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Keep Stalling As Jacoby Brissett Question Grows
The Cardinals latest loss in Denver only added to the sense that their offense is stuck in neutral, with red zone failures and third-down issues continuing to drag down a team that is now 2-5. Protection has been inconsistent, the receivers have not helped enough, and the overall rhythm of the offense still looks out of sync at a point in the season when the margin for error is shrinking fast.
Mike LaFleur is standing by Jacoby Brissett for now, but the conversation around the quarterback spot is getting harder to ignore as the offense keeps stalling. Brissett has not solved the bigger problems around him, and with the Cardinals searching for any sign of momentum, the next few weeks could determine whether this is simply a rough stretch or the start of a deeper change under center. [Read more 🡒]