ARIZONA — It was close, until it wasn't.

The Arizona Cardinals emerge from their Week 7 clash with a 30-16 loss to the Denver Broncos, dropping their record to 2-5 on the season.

Don't let the final score fool you — the Cardinals were outplayed today, especially in the second half.

Winners and losers from Arizona's loss to the Broncos:

Loser: Nick Rallis

It's time to start those conversations again.

After an impressive win last week in Los Angeles, the Cardinals' defense is back to their typical standard of play after allowing 30 points to a struggling Denver offense. Bo Nix looked more than a competent quarterback, which is saying something.

Rallis' crew has now allowed 30 or more points in five of Arizona's seven games this season.

How much longer does he last?

Winner: Darius Robinson

Robinson needed to have a strong third season to get himself back on track, as the former first-round pick very much filled the "bust label" and couldn't shed it through the first two years of his career.

However, Robinson's silently had a strong 2026 season, which continued today with a sack on Bo Nix, his second on the year.

He ended the day with four tackles, tied for third-most on Arizona.

Loser: Garrett Williams

With multiple safeties sidelined, it was Garrett Williams who primarily operated as Budda Baker's partner in crime on the backend. Even with the Cardinals thin at cornerback, Arizona opted to take their best available corner and place him at safety over Dadrion Taylor-Demerson.

That didn't last long, as Williams missed a tackle on an explosive Broncos pass while being responsible for a deep coverage bust down the field on another. He was replaced by Taylor-Demerson and played sparingly the rest of the way.

Winner: Bam Knight

With Jeremiyah Love again out of action, the Cardinals leaned on Bam Knight once again to shoulder the load for Arizona's backfield.

Acknowledging the dropped touchdown pass in the first half, Knight did have an overall solid day — they just didn't run the ball all that often. Knight finished with seven rushes for 48 yards, a 6.9 YPC average.

He also added three receptions for 15 yards.

Loser: The Referees

Look, there's penalties every game. It's hard to play a smooth game from start to finish, and it's especially dependent on the crew of officials. And while the Cardinals have shown to have a penalty problem in the past, this is a general take for both Arizona and Denver. Both teams ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in terms of total penalties for the 2026 season entering today.

The amount of flags thrown at State Farm Stadium was ridiculous. 20 total penalties for over 170 yards is eye-opening.

Winner: Trey McBride

Happy National Tight Ends Day, Trey!

McBride, after scoring just once in his last four games, found the end zone for Arizona and ended their red zone woes after connecting with Jacoby Brissett on a seven-yard touchdown to get the Cardinals' offense going.

McBride's had a string of quieter games compared to his usual standard, though he bounced back with a nice ten reception, 111 yard and one score outing.

Loser: Jacoby Brissett

Brissett, after leading the Cardinals on a game-winning drive against the Rams last week, has come back down to earth. Hard.

Brissett completed 27 of 48 passes for 272 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.

He was extremely limited in his operations of the offense, again, especially in the red zone.

Winner: Cardinals Fans and Larry Fitzgerald

On a brighter note for the Cardinals, Larry Fitzgerald was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor at halftime, where the Hall of Fame receiver spoke and saw his famous No. 11 immortalized forever in Arizona history.

It was a special day for a special player and fans who never got to see their hero officially say goodbye after he retired in 2020. Even with a loss, it was still an incredible day for Cardinals fans and Fitzgerald.

Loser: Cardinals' Offensive Line

Brissett had a whopping 13 quarterback hits today to pair with two sacks. Entering today, he had one of the NFL's fastest average times to throw, and the Broncos got after him early and often.

Arizona's offensive line featured a rookie seventh-round pick at left tackle and their effective fourth-string right guard, which was pitted against a Broncos front seven who had 60 pressures through six games entering today.

Brissett, while clearly having ownership of issues in Arizona's offense, simply was under duress the entire day. His offensive line never stood a chance.