Two former Washington football defensive backs left it all out on the field for the Arizona Cardinals in a big win on Monday night
Washington football is known for churning out quality defensive backs, and two of Jimmy Lake’s best players showed out on football’s biggest stage. Both Budda Baker and Byron Murphy both had arguably the best game of their young careers.
Murphy got a tough assignment, matching up with rookie CeeDee Lamb for most of the night, who was the most productive rookie wide receiver coming into the game. Lamb ended up with seven catches for 64 yards, but was held to three catches for 11 yards through the first three quarters while the Cardinals jumped out to a 28-3 lead. Murphy finished the game with eight tackles, one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery, and three passes defensed.
The 33rd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft started every game as a rookie on a defense that still needed a lot of help, and he held his own, finishing the year with 78 tackles, 10 passes defensed, and one interception. He’s coming into his own now in year two, with a much better supporting cast, especially Baker.
The highest-paid safety in football did exactly what the Cardinals gave him $59 million in the offseason to do, make plays. Chris Petersen’s first major win on the recruiting trail, the product of Bellevue High School did everything Husky fans remember. He recorded eight tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and the first interception of his career.
https://twitter.com/UW_Football/status/1318383211601293313
What makes Baker’s performance even more impressive is the fact that just two weeks ago, Baker sat out of Arizona’s loss to the Carolina Panthers after having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb. He played with a hard cast around his thumb, and was still able to be the team’s leader in a 38-10 thrashing of the Cowboys.
Their former defensive backs coach was loving what he saw on ESPN, judging from his most recent tweet:
After tonight’s game, Lake can walk into the home of any defensive back who might be considering Washington, throw on the tape of Monday’s game, and prove that he has what it takes to develop them into the next Baker or Murphy.