The Arizona Cardinals have not seen the 2022 season go the way they were expecting it to go, and things only got worse for them in Week 14 when Kyler Murray tore his ACL on the third play of the game. The Cardinals Week 15 contest against the Denver Broncos offers them their last hope at keeping this season alive, but even if they win, it likely won't change much. With that being said, we still have to take a look at our Cardinals Week 15 predictions for this game.

The Broncos are in a similar boat as the Cardinals. Their season went off the rails fast, and they have easily been the most disappointing team in the league to this point. Denver has already been eliminated from playoff contention, and it's gotten to the point where they are starting Brett Rypien over Russell Wilson despite the fact Wilson has cleared the NFL's concussion protocol ahead of this game.

Both of these squads are in pretty bad shape, and have fairly little to play for in this game. Still, it will be interesting to see how both of these teams go out and compete, even though there isn't much at stake here. So with that being said, let's jump into our Cardinals Week 15 predictions and see what could happen in this game.

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3. Cardinals FS Budda Baker will finish with 15 tackles and an interception

Arizona has some talented players on defense, but it's clear that the best of the bunch is star safety Budda Baker. Baker is a do-it-all safety who plays all over the field in an attempt to help out the Cardinals defense. He hasn't had his typical impact this season, but that isn't totally his fault.

Against the Broncos, Baker is going to have a big role cut out for him. Denver is likely going to lean on their ground game with several key pieces of their passing attack out, and that will lead Baker to play in the box in an effort to slow down the Broncos rushing attack. Baker can be a tackling machine when he's at the top of his game, and he will play a key role in slowing down Murray as he picks up 15 tackles.

Baker also is a strong coverage safety, and he will play a role in keeping Rypien quiet for most of the game. Baker will nab an interception in the second quarter, which will be his second of the season. When all is said and done, Baker will have a massive day in the box score against the Broncos, and this will easily go down as the best game of his season.

2. Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins will rack up over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown

With Murray out for the remainder of the 2022 season, the Cardinals will be forced to hand the ball over to Colt McCoy under center. McCoy has held his own when he's filled in for Murray earlier this season, but he doesn't offer the game-breaking capabilities that Murray offers. That's obviously why he's a backup and not a starter in this league, though.

When McCoy has played, he has peppered star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins with targets. Hopkins has been targeted at least 11 times in the three games McCoy has played in this season, and while Marquise Brown wasn't active for two of those games, Hopkins will likely be targeted early and often in this one.

Hopkins will draw a tough matchup going up against Patrick Surtain II, but Hopkins is simply too good to be kept quiet. Expect a monster day from Hopkins, that will see him finish with eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, though, Hopkins' big day won't be enough to lead Arizona to a win over Denver.

1. The Cardinals will lose on a last second field goal from the Broncos

With both offenses being in really rough shape, this is going to be a pretty ugly game. The Cardinals offense is in a bit better condition than the Broncos, but Denver's defense has the potential to tilt the scales in their favor. Surprisingly, though, it will actually be the Broncos offense that ends up winning them this game.

Despite Baker's best efforts, Latavius Murray will find his way into the end zone twice, although a missed extra point from Brandon McManus on his second score ends up keeping the Cardinals alive in the game. The Cardinals will respond by scoring ten unanswered points in the second half to knot the game at 13 apiece, with Hopkins scoring the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

After shutting down Rypien in the air for most of the day, the Cardinals defense will falter when they have a shot to send this game to overtime. It won't be pretty, but Rypien will guide the Broncos down the field for a game-winning drive, and McManus will send the Cardinals home unhappy after he makes up for his earlier mistake by nailing a game-winning 52-yard field goal for Denver.