Broncos Travel to Arizona to Kick Off Week 7 in the National Football League

Week 7 kicks off in the National Football League with a matchup that is unlikely to produce a result that impacts the playoff picture, but is important for a pair of head coaches that are having a tough go at it in 2018.

Vance Joseph and the got off to a 2-0 start, in large part due to a significant early season home field advantage in Mile High Stadium, but have lost four straight including a 23-20 defeat to the undefeated Rams last Sunday. Joseph enters Week 7 with an overall record of 7 and 15 and may be coaching for his job against the on Thursday night.

The Broncos may play with urgency on short rest to support their head coach, but it is hard to get excited about their chances of winning considering how poorly they have played away from home since Joseph took over in 2017. Denver lost 7 of 8 on the road last year and are winless in two tries in 2018. They are currently listed as a 1-point favorite because on paper they possess more talent and have more experience than their Week 7 opponent. That however does not necessarily make them the right side.

The Cardinals enter this spot with a 1 and 5 record under new head coach Steve Wilks. Despite the poor win percentage, they have played better since rookie first round pick Josh Rosen was moved into the starting role in Week 4 against the Seahawks. Arizona lost that game 20-17, but one can certainly argue they were the better team on September 30^th. Not only did veteran placekicker Phil Dawson miss a 45-yard field goal to put them ahead with 1:50 to play, but Rosen’s pass catchers dropped a couple of chances that likely would have led the Cardinals to victory.

Arizona bounced back off the tough defeat in Week 5 to beat division rival San Francisco 28-18 and then lost on the road to a much more talented Vikings team 27-17, but hung in there pretty well in a tough spot away from home. All in all, they are an improved team from the one we saw start the season with two awful performances under veteran signal caller Sam Bradford.

Look for the Cardinals to get the ball to star running back David Johnson early to take advantage of a Denver run defense that has been thrashed the last two weeks by the Jets and the Rams. This should allow Rosen to settle in and make enough plays to get Arizona their second win of the season as slight home dogs.

The Cardinals will not win many games in 2018, but I like them in this spot.

Play:

Arizona (+1)- 1 unit

Year to date record: 18-9-3 (+7 units)