PFF: Budda Baker highest graded safety in Week 11
Nov 24, 2017, 2:18 PM | Updated: 3:49 pm
Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker celebrates a fumble recovery during the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
In just his first full start at safety, Arizona Cardinals’ Budda Baker showed he can play at an elite level.
His Week 11 performance didn’t go unnoticed as he was the highest graded safety in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, beating out New York Giants’ Landon Collins, Miami Dolphins’ T.J. McDonald and Minnesota Vikings’ Harrison Smith.
Budda Baker 👀 pic.twitter.com/cDaEgewmMy
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) November 24, 2017
With a 99.4 rating, Baker beat out Collins by 5.2 for the top spot.
In Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, the Washington product was all over the field. He finished the day with 13 tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles and two pass deflections.
Baker’s presence was known early Sunday when he was able to get to quarterback Tom Savage for the strip-sack. The Cardinals, down 7-0 at that point, would capitalize on the turnover with a touchdown to Larry Fitzgerald on the ensuing drive to get the game back to even.
Budda Baker is phenomenal pic.twitter.com/JJ13wbNhaa
— Seth (@SCoxFB) November 19, 2017
With starting safety Tyvon Branch done for the year, Baker’s number got the call and he made the most of the opportunity.
“All the type of things Tyvon did I did exactly,” Baker told 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s Paul Calvisi after the game, adding, “Didn’t do enough to win the game.”
