The Denver Broncos walked into their Week 7 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals with a 4-2 record, eyeing a victory to really get their season firing on all cylinders. And you know what? For the most part, that’s exactly what went down as they notched a 30-16 win over the Cardinals. It wasn’t always pretty, especially early on, but when it mattered, the big plays absolutely cooked.
First Half Blues Got Real for Denver
Look, the Broncos’ offense, and Bo Nix specifically, have been trying to find their footing all season. We saw some significant regression in Nix’s first down passing compared to his 2024 and 2025 numbers. Head Coach Sean Payton clearly tried to fix it in the first half against the Cardinals, opting for pass plays on most early first downs. But man, outside of a couple of throws, it just wasn’t happening. Nix went a measly 10-of-19 for just 72 passing yards in the first half. The offense scraped together only six first downs and, get this, they were abysmal on third down, converting only one out of seven attempts.
And here’s the kicker: the Cardinals came into this game with one of the worst run defenses in the entire NFL, giving up at least 140 yards on the ground in three of their first six games! You’d think that would be a huge focus, especially with Jonah Coleman back in the lineup. But Denver only ran the ball nine times in the entire first half. Seriously? It looked rough.
Then the Explosions Started to Fly
But then, out of nowhere, the offense suddenly flipped the switch late in the first half. What was the spark? None other than Bo Nix himself, who had a remarkable 62-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter! Everyone’s been talking about Nix’s ankle, right? Well, he looked incredibly spry on that play, blowing past defenders like his ankle issues were ancient history. That run totally ignited Denver’s offense for the rest of the game.
The big plays just kept coming in the second half. Nix tossed a perfectly timed screen pass to RJ Harvey against a blitz, and Harvey took it 52 yards for Denver’s second touchdown of the game. That’s the kind of stuff you want to see more of, because when Harvey gets into space, magic happens. He is seriously incredible in that regard. Then, in the final minutes of the third quarter, Nix hit Marvin Mims Jr. on a beautiful 42-yard catch-and-run that marched them right into the red zone. That drive was capped off with a short yardage touchdown by J.K. Dobbins, finally putting Denver up by multiple scores. When they hit those big plays, the Broncos were unstoppable.
This win brings the Broncos to 5-2 on the season, a solid record built on finding those explosive moments even when consistency isn’t quite there yet.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mile High Report.
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