The Cardinals spent Sunday honoring Larry Fitzgerald and retiring No. 11, but the on-field result took the shine off the celebration.
Arizona enshrined Fitzgerald in its Ring of Honor and made sure no one else will wear his jersey number again. Then the Broncos walked into State Farm Stadium and took over, winning 30-16 in a game that looked a lot like Denver home field south.
Two plays did most of the damage. Bo Nix broke loose for a 62-yard touchdown run, and R.J.
Harvey later turned a screen pass into a 52-yard touchdown. Those explosive snaps helped Denver match its season high in points, produce its second-most yardage of the year, and keep Arizona stuck at 16.
The Cardinals finally got back to the end zone for the first time in over 100 game minutes, and it was Trey McBride finishing the drive, just as he had in the loss to the Detroit Lions. McBride was one of the few bright spots, catching 10 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Bam Knight also found room to run, averaging nearly seven yards per carry. But Arizona could never put together enough sustained offense to make it matter. The final possession summed up the afternoon: five plays inside the 1-yard line after Denver penalties, then a sack pushed the Cardinals back to the 5 before a fourth-down failure ended it without points.
That kind of red-zone collapse has become a familiar problem. Arizona entered the game 11-for-23 in the red zone and went 1-for-5 on Sunday, dropping to 12-for-28 overall.
For a team that had just come off a win in Los Angeles, this was a complete breakdown in all three phases. It also turned what should have been a proud day for Fitzgerald and the franchise into a frustrating one.
In Other News...
Cardinals Home-Field Reputation Just Hit An Embarrassing New Low
A new study has put State Farm Stadium in an unfortunate spotlight, and not in the way the Cardinals would want. Casino Guru examined 1,333 NFL home games from 2021 to 2025 and built an intimidation ranking using results, scoring, turnovers, sacks and penalties, with Arizonas home field landing dead last among league venues. Visiting teams have been winning there at a startling rate and have been putting points on the board with little resistance, which is hardly the profile of a place where opponents are supposed to feel pressure.
The broader issue for Arizona is that the numbers line up too neatly with what has played out on the field. The Cardinals have dropped 10 straight at home dating back to last season, and that losing streak has only reinforced the perception that State Farm Stadium is not much of an advantage right now. For a franchise trying to restore some edge in front of its own fans, the embarrassment goes beyond a ranking and straight to a bigger question about how quickly that image can change. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Home Slide Is Reaching A Point Fans Can't Ignore
The crowd still shows up, but the results keep giving Cardinals fans more reasons to head home disappointed. Arizonas loss to Denver left the team at 2-5 and deepened a frustrating stretch at State Farm Stadium, where the atmosphere has held up even as the product on the field has not. For a franchise that has not been to the playoffs since the 2021 season, the disconnect between support and payoff is getting harder to overlook.
Home has become the place where the Cardinals most need a reset, and it is not happening fast enough. The sting of another defeat in front of a strong home crowd only adds to the sense that the issues are no longer isolated, but part of a trend that keeps building with every visit back to Arizona. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Suddenly Face A Josh Sweat Decision Fans Dread
The buzz around Josh Sweat has only gotten louder as the November 10 trade deadline approaches, and it puts the Cardinals in an awkward spot with one of their most recognizable edge rushers. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that multiple teams are at least monitoring the situation, while Arizona general manager Monti Ossenfort had already downplayed trade talk around Sweat before adding that situations can change.
What makes this one worth watching is the contract side of it. Sweat has two sacks this season, and the uncertainty goes beyond his on-field production because the final two years of his deal do not include guaranteed money. For a Cardinals team trying to sort out its present and future, that kind of leverage can turn a routine rumor into a real front-office headache. [Read more 🡒]