The Broncos were held scoreless in the first half Thursday at University of Phoenix Stadium.
The offense nearly got on the board at the end of the second quarter, thanks to a big play on defense.
Linebacker Steven Johnson forced a fumble by Cardinals wide receiver DeMarco Sampson, and fellow linebacker Nate Irving pounced on the loose football.
Two plays later, quarterback Caleb Hanie hit tight end Virgil Green for a 22-yard gain. The tight end broke two tackles and got the ball all the way down to the 7-yard line, where the Broncos called timeout with 11 seconds remaining.
On first-and-goal, Hanie lofted a pass to Andre Caldwell in the end zone, but Arizona’s A.J. Jefferson was in tight coverage and forced an incompletion.
With seven seconds still on the clock, the offense looked one more time to the end zone — but Hanie was sacked and time ran out in the half.
In the half, the Broncos were outgunned 136 to 108 yards, but outrushed the Cardinals thanks to a strong effort by Knowshon Moreno. He finished the half with 49 yards — the most by a Bronco this preseason — picking up seven yards per carry.
Arizona leads 7-0 at halftime.
