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

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

2026-10-26 09:24 Last Updated At：09:30

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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A week after frightening injury, Falcons rookie Daniels comes up big in win over 49ers

ATLANTA (AP) — A week ago, Atlanta Falcons rookie Kendal Daniels was carted off the field on a stretcher, his body strapped to a backboard, his head engulfed by an ominous-looking brace. No one was thinking about when he might return. The immediate concern was whether he sustained any career-threatening or even life-altering damage.

Which made his performance Sunday even more remarkable.

In a game the Falcons desperately needed to win, Daniels came through with a team-high 11 tackles, made a crucial interception in the fourth quarter and, for good measure, recovered a fumble that finished off a 29-20 win over the previously unbeaten San Francisco 49ers.

“I'm really proud of that kid,” said coach Kevin Stefanski, who rewarded the 23-year-old linebacker with a game ball.

Once he left the hospital and was cleared physically, Daniels faced the inevitable mental challenge of getting back on the field without any lingering doubts or fears holding him back. He knew that his facemask-on-knee collision with Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland could have turned out much worse.

“I've never not walked off the field after an injury,” Daniels said. “So mentally, I had to be prepared. Going back home, I had to make sure I was OK mentally, more than anything, and not playing timid.”

No one would accuse him of timidity against Brock Purdy and the Niners.

Daniels turned up everywhere, making the sort of big plays the Falcons (3-4) needed to pick up their first home win of the season. Especially in the final quarter, when the fourth-round draft pick looked like a budding star with Atlanta clinging to a 26-20 lead.

On third-and-9 from just shy of midfield, Purdy attempted a pass over the middle. Daniels read it all the way, leaping high to deflect the ball into his own hands. With the pick secured, he took off the other way for a 29-yard return that set up Nick Folk's field goal with 1:56 remaining.

“I had missed one earlier in the game,” Daniels said. “I just knew I needed to make a play for my team.”

Daniels wasn't done, either.

The 49ers tried to race down the field for a touchdown or field goal that would've at least given them a shot at an onside kick. But Jessie Bates jarred the ball loose from George Kittle after a long completion, and Daniels, hustling all the way, fell on the fumble at the Falcons 20 with 47 seconds to go.

Bring on the victory formation.

Teammate Maason Smith marveled at how far Daniels had come in the past week.

“I can remember on Monday, he could barely turn his neck to either side,” Smith said. “To see him go through all that, then come back on the following Sunday and have a hell of a game is great to see. I hope to see more of it.”

Daniels conceded that he was still thinking about the injury when he came out for the warmups at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a player alone with his thoughts after a harrowing ordeal.

“I wasn’t scared, but I definitely thought about it,” Daniels said. “I haven’t been in full pads all week. What if I’m not OK? But once I got my first tackle in pregame, I was good.”

He wouldn't get any argument from the 49ers, who lost for the first time this season largely because of four turnovers.

The Falcons can only hope their young linebacker's inspiring recovery signals a long-term turnaround for a long-suffering franchise.

Daniels is certainly looking forward. When fellow rookie linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. was slapping him on the back of his helmet in celebration as the final seconds ticked way, leaving the field the previous Sunday on a stretcher was long forgotten.

“That was the last thing I was worried about,” Daniels said with a grin.

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