Packer Central

Packers-Cardinals Big Matchup: Budda Baker vs. Everyone

In order for the Green Bay Packers’ offense to flourish on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, they must find a way to neutralize perennial Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker.

Bill Huber

Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker
Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – No. 3 is the one on the Green Bay Packers’ radar for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals’ best player is safety Budda Baker. The eighth-year pro and six-time Pro Bowler entered the week ranked third in the NFL with 52 tackles. While he has zero interceptions and one pass breakup since the start of last season, he is the one who has everyone on alert.

What does receiver Jayden Reed see in Arizona’s defense?

“Budda Baker,” he replied. “He’s definitely the key to that defense. He comes down and makes a lot of plays. He can fill a lot of gaps and he does a great job attacking the line of scrimmage. He does a great job in that way.”

What has running back Josh Jacobs seen in a soft Cardinals run defense?

“Obviously, when you talk about their defense, you start with Budda Baker,” he said. “He’s all around the ball on every clip. He negates a lot of big plays for other offenses. I think that locating him and knowing where he is at all times is the biggest thing.”

Of Baker’s 306 defensive snaps, 122 have come in the box with 146 at free safety.

“He makes them right,” Jacobs said. “He comes down flying. He might be 15 yards [off the ball] but he’s meeting the ball for a 2-yard gain. He’s coming in flying, he has great instincts and he’s a great player. He’s been playing in this league for a long time.”

What does coach Matt LaFleur see in the Cardinals’ pass defense?

“They’ve got playmakers back there and it started with Budda,” he said.

LaFleur got to know Baker when he coached the Pro Bowl following the 2021 season. He called him an “eraser” who lines up in the middle of the secondary and comes downhill in a hurry.

“He is relentless,” he said. “He plays the game the way it’s meant to be played. I think you can tell he’s a very intelligent player. They put a lot on him. He’s all over the place, and if you don’t know where he’s at, he’s going to make life miserable for you.

“I love his pursuit to the football. He’s a great leader out there and you see it. Every play, he plays like it’s his last. To me, he’s like a coaches’ dream in terms of how he approaches the game and plays the game. I was impressed by him then and he’s still doing it.”

Arizona enters the game ranked 27th in points allowed. It’s 27th in yards allowed per play, 20th in rushing per play and 29th in passing per play.

If the Packers can neutralize Baker, there should be opportunities for the Packers to have a big day on offense. 

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.