In Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos, the Arizona Cardinals once again allowed at least 30 points at their home venue.
The Cardinals’ defense came into Sunday’s matchup facing one of the NFL’s worst offenses statistically. Then, they allowed at least 30 points for the fifth time in 2026. The trend of allowing at least 30 points outside of SoFi Stadium continues for another week as Arizona once again goes back to the drawing board to try to figure out what went wrong.
For a while, it looked like Arizona would keep Bo Nix and Co. in check. Arizona went into the half trailing 13-6 before RJ Harvey scored on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Nix. Once again, the Cardinals‘ defense allowed an explosive play through the air. Something that has been yet another recurring theme for this defense.
After a touchdown from tight end Trey McBride brought the Cardinals back to a seven-point deficit, the Broncos responded with another scoring drive. The big play of the drive? A 47-yard pass to Marvin Mims Jr. to set up first-and-goal.
Arizona Cardinals Defense Collapsed Against A Struggling Offense
The Broncos came into this Week 7 matchup averaging 252 yards of total offense. They gained 377 yards on Sunday afternoon. Besides the 52-yard strike to Harvey and the 47-yard pass to Mims, Arizona also allowed completions of 27 and 20 yards. Nix also broke free for a 62-yard run for a touchdown.
Two Broncos touchdowns came as a result of explosive plays. A third came thanks to an explosive play setting them up for first-and-goal. Denver also tacked on three field goals to get its 30 points.
Denver had reached the 30-point mark just once before they put up 30 on the Cardinals. That occurred in Week 3 vs. the Los Angeles Rams. Opposing defenses held Denver to under 20 points in three of their first six games.
Week 7 also marked the second time the Broncos made it over the 300-yard threshold in a game, per their Pro-Football-Reference page. With the way Denver torched the Arizona Cardinals’ defense on Sunday, it shows that Nick Rallis and Co. still have a lot of problems to fix.
Cardinals Must Find Answers Before Week 8
The Cardinals’ defense had a chance to string together stellar back-to-back performances. Now that their Week 7 matchup is in the books, Week 8 isn’t getting any easier. They will face a Dallas Cowboys offense that has crossed the 300-plus-yard threshold in five of their first six games.
If there is a silver lining, it is that the Cardinals’ offense may enjoy a better outing, considering the state that the Cowboys’ own defense has been in. But with 34 points scored in the last two contests, the question is: Will Arizona’s offense have enough firepower to keep pace with Dallas should the defense struggle through another poor outing?
Arizona’s best bet is to repeat what worked in Week 6’s win over the Rams and apply it to Dallas. That wasn’t the case on Sunday afternoon vs. Denver. Maybe the Cardinals will have better luck against a team that hasn’t beaten them since 2017.
Arizona Cardinals’ Defensive Problems Return Against Struggling Broncos