Cardinals’ Joey Blount forces 2nd punt return fumble in 2 weeks

Joey Blount joined the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 when the team backfilled the roster because of safety Budda Baker landing on the injured reserve.

Baker returned Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, and Blount was still sticking around and making plays.

For the second week in a row, the backup safety and special teamer forced a fumble on a punt return, this time ripping the ball from Seahawks return man DeeJay Dallas.

It was one of three takeaways, but the 3-0 turnover battle won by the Cardinals didn’t lead to points in a 20-10 loss on Sunday.

Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck recovered the loose ball, setting up a brief Arizona possession that led to a 44-yard Matt Prater field goal to make it 7-3, Seattle, with 1:57 left in the first quarter.

2 WEEKS IN A ROW @JoeyBlount8! pic.twitter.com/Epix7Y9Dwh

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 22, 2023

Seven days prior, Blount punched the ball loose from Los Angeles Rams return man Austin Trammel that likewise led to an Arizona field goal.

The forced fumble against Seattle had a little backstory to it because Blount began his NFL career with the Seahawks after going undrafted out of Virginia in 2022.

Blount appeared in 11 games in 2022 for Seattle, tallying eight tackles and one fumble recovery.

Now in Arizona, he’s earned some cache with his forced turnovers as a gunner. Blount additionally saw 10 defensive snaps last week for a team that at the time was missing Baker and fellow starting safety Jalen Thompson.

Baker, who was resting a hamstring injury, returned against the Seahawks, while Thompson remains out with a hamstring issue of his own.

Cardinals rookie Garrett Williams recorded an interception at the Arizona 1-yard line in his debut, while a recovery of a Geno Smith fumbled snap also didn’t result in points.

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