Tag: Budda Baker

Projected stats for Cardinals players at season’s midpoint

Quarterback Kyler Murray is on pace to have a 4,200-yard season throwing the ball and 1,000-yard season running the ball.

The Arizona Cardinals are exactly halfway into their 2020 season, having played eight games. It makes it easy to project what the final statistics will be for the team’s top players.

Let’s look at what the team’s final stats project to be.


The All-22 angles of DK Metcalf’s tackle of Budda Baker are truly epic

If you thought DK Metcalf’s tackle of Budda Baker was amazing before, wait until you see the All-22!

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll called it “one of the best plays I’ve ever seen.” When Russell Wilson threw an interception to Cardinals safety Budda Baker with 9:31 left in the first half, it looked to all the world that Baker had a long pick-six in front of him. But Baker did not count on the effort of Seattle receiver DK Metcalf, who, at 6-foot-4 and 233 pounds, chased down the 5-foot-10, 195-pound Baker, saving a touchdown. The Cardinals failed to score on the subsequent drive, though they won the game in overtime, 37-34.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury was also impressed, saying that his guy had a score “until that huge stallion of a human came galloping out of nowhere. Phenomenal anticipation by [Baker]. DK Metcalf is an absolutely freak athlete, and what an effort play by him.

“High school coaches will be showing that one for years — just don’t give up on a play,”

Wilson, who threw three interceptions on the night, was uniquely grateful.

“It was one of the most remarkable plays I’ve ever seen,” Wilson said postgame. “He just kept going, man. It was just unbelievable play by him, just the effort. I really respect him for that. That’s what it takes, just a winning effort.

“He’s one of the best players in the league, he’s one of the most special guys I know, he’s one of my best friends, and I really respect him,” Wilson added. “Not just because of his effort on that particular play, but that’s who he is, that’s who he is, every day. He’s consistent in that way, so that’s what I love him for.”

When you watch the overhead and end zone angles of the play, courtesy of NFL Game Pass, it’s even more remarkable.

Especially on the end zone angle, where Metcalf (No. 14) is barely on the screen when Baker takes the ball. It’s a superhuman effort and one of the most amazing plays in NFL history, and it deserves to be watched from every possible angle.

 

Week 7 win over Seahawks is the team’s best in last 4 years

The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL’s game of the year on Sunday Night Football

The Arizona Cardinals (5-2) are heading into their bye week after a historic victory over their division rival Seattle Seahawks(5-1).

The win meant so much for the Cardinals, their fanbase and for their national recognition from the rest of the NFL.

In back to back weeks, the Cards showed the world they belong on primetime television. Sunday night’s victory over the Seahawks means so much to this organization for a few particular reasons:

  • The Cardinals had not beaten Russell Wilson and the Seahawks at home since his first career start in 2012.
  • Including the playoffs, Russell Wilson’s Seahawks were 59-0 when having a lead of four or more at halftime. They are now 59-1.
  • The Seahawks were also 30-0 when leading by 10+ points at the half since 2012.
  • The Cardinals are now a game back in the loss column from taking back first place in the NFC West.
  • Kyler Murray, the Cardinals’ future face of the franchise, was sensational on the biggest stage.
  • Isaiah Simmons, the No. 8 overall pick in the draft this year, made the play of the night after weeks of bashing from the national media.
  • The Cardinals played on the road six days ago. Seattle had two weeks to prepare for Sunday night.

The win was far from perfect, and the Cardinals would tell you just that. But in the end, they wanted it more than the Seahawks and executed. Vance Joseph made excellent adjustments in the second half, switching back to the attack 3-4 defense that worked so well in Dallas last week.

Man, what a night for Kyler Murray. Outside of a poor overthrow that ended up in the hands of Quandre Diggs, he was unstoppable. DeAndre Hopkins remained as advertised and the Cardinals fans finally got to see a premier game from the great Larry Fitzgerald.

Christian Kirk and Chase Edmonds really stepped up on Sunday. Kirk has five touchdown receptions on the year, which is two more than he had in all of 2019. Edmonds was electric all night and was never tackled by the first defender to reach him.

Shoutout to Kenyan Drake, and prayers to him that his injury isn’t serious. He was in visible pain on the sideline after giving his all on a 4th and 1 to keep Arizona alive. Without that play from Drake, the Cardinals lose the game. Rest up, Kenyan.

Sunday’s victory over the Seattle Seahawks is the franchise’s best win in four years. Since 2016, there has not been a win that held the same caliber of the feelings going around tonight. Try to think of a better one. You won’t.

The Cardinals will come out of their much-needed bye week against the Miami Dolphins, and will be receiving some reinforcements in Markus Golden, Maxx Williams and Jalen Thompson. (And perhaps someone else given the number of talented players in this year’s trade deadline).

Enjoy this one Cardinals fans.

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Watch: DK Metcalf chases Budda Baker down to save a pick-six

Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf is unusually fast for his size. How fast? Just ask Cardinals safety Budda Baker.

It’s highly unusual when Russell Wilson throws an interception. Coming into Sunday night’s game against the Cardinals, he’d only thrown three all season. But he threw one to Arizona safety Budda Baker — the reigning NFC Defensive Player of the Week — with 9:05 left in the first half, and it looked to all the world that Baker was on his way to a pick-six that would have traveled nearly 100 yards, .

And then, Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf, at 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds, chased Baker down out of nowhere, and tackled the 5-foot-10, 195-pound Baker at the Seattle eight-yard line.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise — Metcalf blew up the 2019 scouting combine by running a 4.33 40-yard dash, while Baker ran a 4.45 at the 2017 combine.

This was more than just a splash play — it would have been an easy touchdown were it not for Metcalf’s effort, but the Seahawks’ defense stopped the Cardinals from scoring any points on the subsequent drive, and the score remained 13-7.

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Watch: DK Metcalf chases Budda Baker down to save a pick-six

Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf is unusually fast for his size. How fast? Just ask Cardinals safety Budda Baker.

It’s highly unusual when Russell Wilson throws an interception. Coming into Sunday night’s game against the Cardinals, he’d only thrown three all season. But he threw one to Arizona safety Budda Baker — the reigning NFC Defensive Player of the Week — with 9:05 left in the first half, and it looked to all the world that Baker was on his way to a pick-six that would have traveled nearly 100 yards, .

And then, Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf, at 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds, chased Baker down out of nowhere, and tackled the 5-foot-10, 195-pound Baker at the Seattle eight-yard line.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise — Metcalf blew up the 2019 scouting combine by running a 4.33 40-yard dash, while Baker ran a 4.45 at the 2017 combine.

This was more than just a splash play — it would have been an easy touchdown were it not for Metcalf’s effort, but the Seahawks’ defense stopped the Cardinals from scoring any points on the subsequent drive, and the score remained 13-7.

Watch: DK Metcalf runs down Budda Baker after 90-yard interception return

Budda Baker was caught from behind by DK Metcalf after a 90-yard interception return

Russell Wilson had the Seattle Seahawks positioned to go in for a score in the second quarter Sunday at Arizona.

The Seahawks’ QB looked for another TD pass and found Budda Baker of the Cardinals, unfortunately.

The Cardinals’ DB picked off the pass and took off. He was running down the sidelines, going 90 yards in all befoe DK Metcalf, who never gave up on the play, ran down Baker. And we mean ran down in a full sprint.

Metcalf’s play was huge as Arizona failed to score on the ensuing drive and turned the ball over on downs to Seattle.

 

Wilson and a pick near the goal line. Sound familiar?

A look at the ‘red-hot’ Cardinals before the Seahawks’ Week-7 matchup

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll gushed about Arizona QB Kyler Murray and S Budda Baker, whose squad the Seahawks face on Sunday.

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The undefeated Seattle Seahawks begin division play this week with a Sunday afternoon matchup against the 4-2 Arizona Cardinals, a team which coach Pete Carroll showered with praise in Wednesday’s press conference.

“The Cardinals couldn’t have done much more to catch their attention than what they did Monday night,” he said, referring to Arizona’s 38-10 beatdown over the Dallas Cowboys earlier this week. “They look great . . .  they’re red-hot, and explosive, and fired up, and all of that. We better get our game right to have a chance.”

Cardinals safety and Washington native Budda Baker, said Carroll, could very well have been a Seahawk. “We really liked him. We saw him grow up here, and he was just such a natural, instinctive football player . . .  he’s a great talent.”

In the end, Baker was drafted just one pick after Seattle’s first selection (second-round defensive tackle Malik McDowell) in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Dealing with Baker, the reigning NFC Defensive Player of the Week, will be a huge part of Seattle’s gameplan, Carroll explained. “He’s become a fantastic factor, and we have to know where he is and make sure that we’re aware of him, because he’s making plays everywhere.”

Carroll was also effusive in his praise of the Cardinals’ offense, headlined by second-year quarterback Kyler Murray. “He really presents ultimate challenges,” said Carroll of Murray, describing his athleticism, poise, and play-making ability. “He’s making really good choices to take advantage of his ability to run . . .  he does a really good job of not getting hit.”

Sound familiar? It certainly does to Carroll.

“Russ is the best example (of a comparison),” he freely admitted. “There’s a similar style, and impact, and way they play a game.”

Preparing to face a team with a quarterback similar to Russell Wilson under center is a daunting task, but as always, Carroll remains excited about the challenge ahead.

“We want to play like it’s a championship game like we do every week,” he concluded. “I’m all fired up about it.”

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Budda Baker named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after dominant play in Week 6

He filled the stat sheet and was completely dominant on Monday night.

For the second week in a row, the Arizona Cardinals have a player of the week. Quarterback Kyler Murray was NFC Offensive Player of the Week after setting a career-high in passing yards against the Carolina Panthers.

This week, it is safety Budda Baker, who was fantastic in Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys.

He was named the Week 6 NFC Defensive Player of the Week, the team announced Wednesday morning.

It is the first time in his career he has earned the honor.

He finished Monday’s game with seven tackles, a sack, his first career interception, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, a pass defensed and a forced fumble. He is the first Cardinals player since Renaldo Hill did it in 2003 to record a sack, an interception and a forced fumble in the same game. Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters is the only other player in the NFL this season to record an interception, sack and forced fumble in a single game.

So far this season, Baker has 45 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, three quarterback hits, one interception, two pass breakups and a forced fumble in five games this season.

 

Overreaction Tuesday: Cardinals back in NFC West 1st-place contention following win over Cowboys

The Arizona Cardinals handled the Dallas Cowboys an ugly loss on Monday Night Football, re-igniting the Cardinals playoff chances.

It was a beautiful day to be an Arizona Cardinals fan.

The Cardinals marched into Texas and absolutely handled the Cowboys on national television.

Kyler Murray threw for two touchdown passes and rushed for another without throwing an interception. Kenyan Drake looked like the back we saw at the end of 2019. Vance Joseph’s defense sans All-Pro pass rusher Chandler Jones dominated the league’s No. 1 scoring offense.

It started very shakily for the Cards. Jordan Hicks dropped a gift of an interception from quarterback Andy Dalton and Dennis Gardeck was barely unable to register a safety. Arizona got the ball at midfield and went backward 12 yards before punting.

A pair of fumbles from Cowboys’ star runner Ezekiel Elliot set the tone for the rest of the game. The Cardinals offense never felt challenged from that point forward.

  • Kyler Murray ran circles around the Dallas defense
  • Christian Kirk had a big game with two touchdown receptions, one being an 80-yard bomb from Murray
  • Kliff Kingsbury’s offense proved it can work around a slow day for DeAndre Hopkins (that is, until he nearly took a drag route to the house)
  • Kenyan Drake capped a strong performance with a 69-yard touchdown run
  • Larry Fitzgerald proved he’s still got it, coming up clutch early in the game and torching the secondary in the red zone on a Murray overthrow.
  • Haason Reddick leads the Cards in sacks and had two on Monday night
  • Budda Baker had a forced fumble, an interception(the first of his career!), and a sack. It would be criminal for him to not receive the NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
  • The Cardinals have allowed 14 QB hits at this point in the season, which is the lowest in the league. Sean Kugler and the offensive line have been tremendous to this point.
  • Byron Murphy had his best game as a pro. He got the better of almost every ball that was thrown his way.

I probably missed some things, but that’s just the kind of day it was for the Cardinals. This victory has put the NFC on notice that Arizona is a real threat. They are back in contention for first place in the NFC West.

Their next matchup is at home against the Seattle Seahawks, who are coming off their bye. This game now has huge implications, given that the Cards could tie the Seahawks’ win total heading into their bye. They can’t quite take the throne back with the win, but they can put themselves at a 5-2 record before some much-deserved rest.

That game will be a big test for the Cardinals. Today’s game was as well, and they aced it.

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WATCH: Budda Baker gets 1st career INT, bowls a strike in celebration

He made a big play and had a big celebration.

The Arizona Cardinals blew out the Dallas Cowboys 38-10 on Monday night and played great defensively. They sacked Andy Dalton three times and forced four turnovers. Cardinals safety Budda Baker was a star on national television. He had seven tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and two quarterback hits.

However, he also did something he had not yet accomplished in his career. He picked off a pass for his first career interception.

Here is the play:

It was really the only knock on his blossoming career. Now he got his first, even with basically only one hand, as he has a cast on his right hand to immobilize his thumb, surgically repaired earlier this month.

As good as the interception was, you might think the celebration that followed is at least as good. Check it out. He goes bowling and gets a strike.

Baker said after the game that the celebration was Patrick Peterson’s idea. Defensive lineman Jordan Phillips, a fairly accomplished bowler in real life, liked it. He even laments not taking part in it. At the moment, he said he was tired and didn’t want to run over there.

Baker, who signed a record-setting contract extension earlier this season, seems to be elevating his game. He has two consecutive games with sacks and now he has an interception.

We can’t wait to see what else there is to come.

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