Even some of the shakier teams in the NFL can hang around and be competitive from time to time. Just in Week 6, the Arizona Cardinals, who the Denver Broncos play in Week 7, upset the Los Angeles Rams, a team that had a 16-point lead over the Broncos at one point back in Week 3.
The NFL is filled with parity, but that doesn't mean teams like the 2-4 Cardinals are always going to be in a position to shock the NFL world. The Cardinals aren't a good team - that isn't a controversial statement, it's a fact.
Yes, they did just beat the Rams, but when you dig just a little deep into the Cardinals, it becomes obvious that the Broncos offense should have a get-right game staring them in the face, and, frankly, there are no excuses for Bo Nix.
The Denver Broncos offense may finally have a chance to get going when Week 7 hits
Right off the bad, the Cardinals rank 31st in points allowed per game. They've allowed opponents to score 29.7 points per game and have allowed opponents to score at least 36 points in three games this year. They also allowed 45 points to the Detroit Lions a couple of weeks ago.
Simply put, this is one of the worst defenses in the NFL, but there's more to talk about. The Cardinals have surrendered 1,484 passing yards this year, which is the 10th-most in the league. They've also allowed 16 touchdown passes, which is the most in the NFL, and their opposing passer rating allowed of 116.5 is also the worst mark in the sport.
The defense has allowed the 7th-most passing plays of 20 yards or more, with 19. They've also allowed four passing plays of 40 yards or more, which is the 4th-most in the league. This is all to say that the Cardinals just cannot stop the pass.
It's very clearly the worst pass defense in football right now, so, logically, this should be a get-right game for the offense... right?
The answer should be yes, but this is also where we talk about how Nix and the offense simply have no excuses in Week 7. When the schedule first game out and the Broncos initial six-games to open up the season were out for the world to see, it's honestly all we could talk about as fans of the team.
It also seemed to start this myth that the Broncos schedule is insanely tough this year - it's not, and it's a lot closer to being an 'average' schedule than a tough one. With that said, the team's first six games were always going to be tough, but we also talked about this stretch saying things like, 'well, if the Broncos could somehow get out of this stretch 4-2 or better, they'll be in great shape.'
And that's 100 percent true, but that also has to mean that the team comes out and begins to stack some wins and takes advantage of easier matchups. Week 7 is where this all starts, period. The Broncos obviously have Super Bowl aspirations, and they likely played in the Super Bowl last year if Nix doesn't break his ankle.
There really isn't a single excuse out there as to why the Broncos would struggle against the Cardinals - it simply has to happen. The matchup is there, and the Broncos also bring in a pretty significant personnel and coaching advantage.
If the offense can't get off the ground in Week 7, we'll have some legitimately major concerns. The Cardinals might end up being the worst defense they'll play all year, so if not now, when?
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