Budda Baker shines in first full game as Cardinals starting safety
Nov 19, 2017, 12:13 PM | Updated: 4:14 pm
Budda Baker is phenomenal pic.twitter.com/JJ13wbNhaa
— Seth (@SCoxFB) November 19, 2017
Things weren’t going great for the Arizona Cardinals early on Sunday.
Leave it to rookie Budda Baker to give them a much-needed boost in Arizona’s 31-21 loss to the Houston Texans.
Houston quarterback Tom Savage recorded six completions on his first six passes to go ahead 7-0 when, finally, the Cardinals used a big play to set up the tying touchdown.
Baker, in his first start since taking over for the injured Tyvon Branch, circled around the right edge of the Houston offensive line and with two hands snatched the ball out of Savage’s hands before pulling it off the turf.
“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.”
He did all he could.
The Washington product that Arizona GM Steve Keim traded up to select 36th overall in the 2016 draft finished with a team-high 13 tackles to go with a sack, a tackle for loss, a pass deflection and a quarterback hit.
Tweeting from home, Branch, who is on the injured reserve list, expressed excitement for his young teammate’s big play.
Great play @buddabaker32!!!! Let’s go!
— Tyvon Branch (@tyvonbranch) November 19, 2017
Just two plays after Baker’s strip-sack-fumble-recovery, Arizona quarterback Blaine Gabbert lofted a ball toward Larry Fitzgerald’s outside shoulder for a 20-yard touchdown, tying the game.
The big play came just after Fitzgerald had been observed meeting with the Cardinals’ trainers, who were looking at the receiver’s hand.
Budda Baker forces a fumble and recovery which leads to a Gabbert to Fitz🏈👋👋 touchdown #BirdGang #BeRedSeeRed #AZvsHOU pic.twitter.com/YKkAvpxwHR
— Ronnie Laybold (@CoyotesGlendale) November 19, 2017
Gabbert finished the first half completing 11-of-14 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which came after Arizona’s Patrick Peterson picked off Savage. After the Cardinals regained possession, Gabbert closed the drive by finding rookie right end Ricky Seals-Jones for an 11-yard touchdown.
