Rapid reactions: Cardinals can’t complete Larry Fitzgerald’s celebratory day with win over Broncos

It was Larry Fitzgerald’s day at State Farm Stadium as the Arizona Cardinals took on the Denver Broncos, but the Cardinals couldn’t put the cherry on top with a win as Arizona fell 30-16 to Denver.

The Broncos put together 379 yards of total offense, including nearly 300 total yards from quarterback Bo Nix — nearly half of which came on three big plays.

On the bright side, tight end Trey McBride continued to carve his name into NFL history with his 400th career catch and his ninth straight game with at least seven receptions.

Reactions from Arizona Sports hosts after Cardinals’ loss to Broncos

Dave Burns, co-host of Burns & Gambo:

It’s never one play or one moment, but it sure felt like a gettable game started to slip from the Cardinals’ grasp towards the end of the second quarter. Facing a 4th and 2 from the Broncos’ 2-yard line, they decided not to go for it, even though they were 0-for-their-last-six on red zone opportunities. They got a delay penalty on fourth down – likely trying to draw the Broncos offsides – and ended up with a 30-yard FG by Chad Ryland for a 6-6 game.

That’s when the football gods seemingly punished the Cards for their conservative decision-making. On the second play of the next drive, Bo Nix found the cure for what’s been ailing his game: a 62-yard touchdown run that for old Cardinals observers like me, was remarkably reminiscent of Steve Bono’s 76-yard naked bootleg TD run against the Cardinals in 1995 (look it up, my young krunk brothers). Denzel Burke (not the only one at fault, mind you) had his back turned to the play and was actually running away from Nix.

At 13-6, the game certainly wasn’t out of reach, but the Cardinals eventually caved after a couple of explosive plays by the Broncos and their offense simply couldn’t keep up. Looking at this offense through the lens of the Broncos defense is a tough ask; it’s obviously one of the best in the NFL. But I’m more than ready to see somebody else man the quarterback position. Benching Jacoby Brissett won’t fix everything of course. The Cards’ defense just gave up 30 or more for the fifth time this season and the 11th time in their last 16 games. But moments like this are exactly why Carson Beck needs to be active on game day. And if not him, then Gardner Minshew, just to see if there is a different gear to this offense.

Vince Marotta, co-host of Bickley & Marotta:

As we discussed on our show the past week, the Denver Broncos had to be looking at Sunday’s game in Glendale as a “get right” game for their woeful offense.

None of the good from the Cardinals’ defensive performance in L.A. last Sunday was present in a 30-16 loss to Denver.

The Broncos got right.

Denver scored touchdowns on a 62-yard run by quarterback Bo Nix and a 52-yard screen pass from Nix to running back R.J. Harvey. On both plays, Arizona had nobody in position to make a play. The Broncos’ offense racked up 377 yards of offense (125 more than their season average) and set a new season-high with 159 yards rushing.

It wasn’t just the defense that failed. It’s just as much on the offense. The Cardinals might have the first passing game that could be described as “four yards and a cloud of dust.” I know that’s by design (which is also a problem), but Jacoby Brissett’s expiration date as the starter has arrived. He doesn’t win games and isn’t the future. Move on.

If you can’t win games at home, you’ve gotta give the remaining loyal fans something to get behind.

Tyler Drake, co-host of Cardinals Corner and Cardinals reporter:

On a day when the Cardinals’ momentum could really pour over with a consecutive win and in front of a crowd eager to immortalize Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona regressed to its previous form.

The big issues once again revolved around not getting it done in the red zone (1-for-5) and watching a mountain of penalties pile up. A costly drop from Bam Knight in the red zone could have made things a lot more interesting. Same with LaFleur lacking aggressiveness on a goal-to-go look on fourth-and-two and settling for a Chad Ryland field goal. I get the head coach’s reasoning, saying he believed it would be a low-scoring game given Denver’s offensive inefficiencies before Sunday, but that’s a moment where you have got to risk three points for seven.

As for quarterback Jacoby Brissett, Mike LaFleur said he’s still the guy next week. But with another loss and a steeper hill to climb in the NFC, how much longer is that going to last?

Time is running out for the Cardinals to roll out Carson Beck as a starter or even just making him active on game days. Heading into next year without a proper amount of tape to evaluate could very much come back to bite the franchise.

Then there was the defense, which again gave up another 30-point showing under Nick Rallis. He earned last week’s reprieve from those calling for his job. This week, however, that’s not going to be the case, especially when looking at just how bad the Broncos offense was entering play. Sunday’s showing was just the second time all year Denver scored 30 points.

The aggressiveness we applauded Rallis and the unit for last week was there early on. But after watching Bo Nix chew up 62 yards for a touchdown, the wind in the unit’s sails suddenly quit.

At 2-5, the Cardinals are teetering closer toward another failed season and being sellers this NFL trade deadline.

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