The Denver Broncos will be looking to improve their record to 5-2 to keep pace with the first-place Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West in Week 7. To do that, they will have to get past the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals sit at 2-4 under first-year head coach Mike LaFleur, but they are a pesky bunch that hangs around and are coming off an upset victory over the Los Angeles Rams last week. They know that a win here could turn around their entire season.
The Broncos hold a 10-1-1 regular-season record against the Cardinals all-time, with their only loss in the series coming in December 2010. The Broncos will be coming off 10 days' rest, hoping to have a much better offensive performance than the last time they took the field.
Let's see how some of the experts out there see this one going.
Broncos vs. Cardinals Week 7 expert picks
Bobby Kownack, NFL.com: Broncos 21, Cardinals 19
"We technically just witnessed the formula for an Arizona victory, Kownack wrote for NFL.com "The Cardinals beat the Rams in Week 6 by taking advantage of an opposing offense that couldn’t get out of its own way and finding just enough points against a stingy defense. Like the Rams, the Broncos’ strength this season has been the defense, and their offense is even more inconsistent than Los Angeles’ has been. Last week's game felt different than this one for a couple of reasons, though. For one, the Cardinals D unquestionably benefited from coach Mike LaFleur knowing the ins and outs of the Rams offense. He served as L.A.’s offensive coordinator from 2023-25. The Broncos have also consistently found ways to win in spots where the Rams have fallen short, including head-to-head. Sunday is much more likely to serve as a get-right game for Bo Nix. While he’s been playing uninspired football, as evidenced by a career-worst 60.3 completion percentage despite throwing for a career-low 5.8 air yards per attempt, Arizona’s defense still ranks 31st in the league in points allowed after holding the Rams to 16 a week ago. It's now or never for Nix and Co. to start exhibiting some kind of boost from Sean Payton taking over play-calling."
In addition to Kownack, Jeremy Bergman, Gennaro Filice and Dan Parr all picked the Broncos, while Brooke Cersosimo was the lone member of the panel choosing the Cardinals.
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: Broncos 23, Cardinals 20
"The Broncos will be wary of the Cardinals surprising them in the desert and can't ignore the noise around Bo Nix despite their 4-2 start, wrote Iyer for The Sporting News. "Denver should take a healthier defense down the road to the desert to help thwart Jacoby Brissett. The Broncos found a little juice in the running game last week and that will help to avoid the road upset."
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Broncos 24, Cardinals 21
"The Cardinals are coming off a big road upset of the Rams, while Denver beat Seattle last Thursday" Prisco wrote for CBS Sports. "The Denver offense has been lifeless so far this season. But the defense is still sticky. I think that defense will come up big, while Bo Nix finally makes some plays. It's close."
Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: Broncos 24, Cardinals 23
Both of the Cardinals' wins this season have come at SoFi Stadium on the road", wrote Cluff for The Arizona Republic. "This game is at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Broncos' defense will make a play late to secure the win for Denver."
Nearly all the picks favor Denver, but most analysts expect a close game that could come down to the wire and go either way.
This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL picks: Who the experts predict to win in the Broncos-Cardinals game