luckadjusted
NFL Week 3 · 2026

NFL · Week 7 2026 · Sunday, October 25

Broncos vs Cardinals prediction and pick

Our Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals pick: Broncos by 3.5, 61% to win. The forecast starts from what each team’s play has been worth once the luck is adjusted for, adds last season, who starts at quarterback and who is out hurt, and home field. No betting information goes in.

An early look, 4 weeks ahead: it sharpens as the game comes up. Updated every day until kickoff, then frozen and scored. After the game this page shows who deserved to win.

Why the curves are so wide: luck. Even with both teams’ strength known exactly, one game’s bounces, kicks, calls and sequencing move the final margin by about ±12.1 points (one standard deviation, measured from every play since 2019). These forecasts carry ±13.2, so about 83% of the width is that luck; the rest is what nobody knows yet about the teams. That is why a 7-point favorite still loses about 3 times in 10.

Broncos at Cardinals

Sun, Oct 25, 4:05 pm ET · State Farm Stadium

Broncos by 3.5 · 61% to win

Show as a table
OutcomeChance
Broncos win60.7%
Cardinals win39.3%
Middle 50%: Broncos by 13 to Cardinals by 650%
Middle 90%: Broncos by 25 to Cardinals by 1890%
Middle 95%: Broncos by 29 to Cardinals by 2295%
Exactly Broncos by 38.4%
Exactly Cardinals by 37.4%
Exactly Broncos by 75.4%
Exactly Broncos by 144.1%
Exactly Cardinals by 74.1%
P50
Half of games like this end between Broncos by 13 and Cardinals by 6.
P90
9 in 10 between Broncos by 25 and Cardinals by 18.
P95
19 in 20 between Broncos by 29 and Cardinals by 22.
Where the forecast comes from
Last seasonBroncos+3.9
Home fieldCardinals+2.3
This season, adjusted for luckBroncos+1.3
QuarterbacksBroncos+0.7

The season so far

TeamRecordCoin-flip winsLuck in wins
Broncos 2–1 1.3 +1.2
Cardinals 1–2 1.0 +0.2

Coin-flip wins: the wins each team’s games were worth with only the kicks, bounces, drops and calls re-rolled, the record adjusted for luck. Luck in wins: actual wins minus what the play was worth.

Broncos vs Cardinals: questions and answers

Who will win Broncos vs Cardinals?

Our forecast picks the Broncos, with 61% to win; the Cardinals win 39% of the time.

What’s the spread for Broncos vs Cardinals?

Our spread: Broncos −3.5. The betting line isn’t out yet. Ours uses no betting information, so where the two differ is where our read of the teams differs from the market’s.

When is Broncos vs Cardinals?

Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 4:05 pm ET, at State Farm Stadium.