Cardinals' home losing streak reaches 10 straight games with loss to Broncos

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Maybe the Arizona Cardinals should play all their games at SoFi Stadium.

They sure can't win at their home stadium.

Plagued by numerous defensive breakdowns, the Cardinals extended their home losing streak to 10 games with a 30-16 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

“It’s super frustrating,” Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson said. “You obviously look at the way we’ve playing on the road this season and how we’ve played at home, I feel like it’s night and day. I don’t know what it is. We’ve got to get it figured out.”

The Cardinals (2-5) have won twice this season at SoFi in Inglewood, California, beating the Chargers in their season opener and the Rams last week.

That's two more wins than they've had at State Farm Stadium over the past 13 months, going back to a 27-22 win over Carolina on Sept. 14, 2025.

A few of Arizona's home losses last season were close, including a three-game stretch by a combined eight points.

The Cardinals opened this season with a pair of home losses, 31-7 to Seattle in their home opener and 45-21 to Detroit on Oct. 11.

A strong defensive performance against the Rams gave them hope of changing their home fortunes against the Broncos (5-2).

A series of explosive plays by Denver dashed any chance.

"We didn't eliminate the explosives," Cardinals linebacker Josh Sweat said. “That's really what put the game out of reach for us. We did a good job defensively, but at the end of the day that's the only thing that matters, the explosives.”

Arizona's defense was good early, holding down Denver's struggling offense.

Then beleaguered Bo Nix took off up the middle.

Seeing no one open and the Cardinals in man-to-man coverage, Denver's quarterback ran past defenders who had their backs turned, untouched until just before he crossed into the end zone for a 62-yard touchdown that gave the Broncos a 13-6 halftime lead.

“The guys were in coverage and had their backs turned, and the seas just parted,” Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said. “You want to stay plastered on your guys, but at the same time at some point you have to realize that (part of the) play is over and it's on to the next one.”

The next one came early in the third quarter.

With Arizona blitzing, Nix flipped the ball out to running back RJ Harvey on a screen pass left. He followed a caravan of blockers, escaped the remaining Cardinals' defenders and scored a 52-yard touchdown that put Denver up 20-6.

"We gave them 14 points," Wilson said. “It's tough to win when you give a team that many points.”

The Cardinals pulled back within seven on Trey McBride's 7-yard touchdown, but the Broncos answered with another explosive play.

It came late in the third quarter, when Marvin Mims Jr. hauled in a 47-yard catch to the Arizona 1-yard line. That set up J.K. Dobbins' 1-yard TD run, all but putting the game out of reach at 27-13.

“We were juiced up to get a win at home,” quarterback Jacoby Brissett said “It's just tough that's the outcome.”

The Cardinals are getting to know the feeling all too well at home.

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