Budda Baker likes to talk some smack.
Not just to the opponents, but to his teammates on the defensive line, at least when it comes to challenging them on game day.
"'Hey, if you get these guys to this number or less, I'll take y'all out to dinner,'" the safety will say, adding, "the next week, (if) they didn't hold them, I'll be like, 'I take that dinner back.'"
Baker laughed, but the message was nothing to joke about. The Cardinals need to be better with their run defense. Stopping the run puts food on the plate of the defense, both literally and figuratively.
The Cardinals host a Green Bay squad that has one of the best running backs in the NFL in Josh Jacobs. Jacobs sits behind Jonathan Taylor for the most rushing touchdowns with six. This comes after Taylor rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals last weekend, and after coach Jonathan Gannon said his defense needs to have better fundamentals against the run.
"If I'm them, and I see that we gave up 150 yards rushing last week, they're going to try to come in here and try to run the ball," defensive lineman Calais Campbell said. "If we want to win this game, we can't let them run the ball. That's got to be the number one focus."
Last season when the Cardinals played the Packers in Green Bay, they allowed 179 rushing yards. This Cardinals squad, especially after the investments made within the defensive front seven, isn't a bad rushing defense by any means. They rank 13th in the league, allowing 102 rushing yards per game.
In each game since Week 4, a running back has scored a rushing touchdown.
"This is the biggest challenge we're going to have all year is stopping this run game and trying to make them one dimensional," Campbell said. "For us to win this game, we're going to have to do that."
The last time that Campbell welcomed the Packers to town as a member of the Cardinals, it was in the NFC divisional round in 2015. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald finished the game with 176 yards, including the 75-yard "Hail Larry" and the shovel pass that gave the Cardinals the 26-20 overtime victory.
Campbell is hoping this Cardinals team can get back to the postseason. With the bye week on deck, the outcome against the Packers (3-1-1) will drastically shape the remainder of the season. A win will give the Cardinals (2-4) their first in over a month. A loss would be a fifth straight.
The run game for the Packers isn't only about Jacobs. Through five games, quarterback Jordan Love's 88 rushing yards has eclipsed his 2024 season total. His presence in the pocket is also front of mind for the Cardinals. The Packers offense is eighth in the league in scoring, and Love was excellent against the Cardinals last season during a game in Green Bay.
"Affect the quarterback," coach Jonathan Gannon said when asked about neutralizing the offense. "And you got to get up and challenge those receivers because they play the game in space and they want to try to take away some of the space and access."
Baker said the urgency to return to the win column has not faded within the locker room. Just like Baker's smack talking hasn't quieted down.
He's hoping their play will speak even louder.
"We've got to be able to stop the run," Baker said. "If you can stop the run and get them to more second-and-pass situations, that's where we can play our coverages and do what we do."
RUNNING BACK ELEVATED
The Cardinals made only one practice-squad elevation this week, moving veteran running back D'Ernest Johnson up. Johnson will be the third running back behind Michael Carter and Bam Knight, with Emari Demercado out with an ankle injury. Johnson played for the Browns when offensive coordinator Drew Petzing was on Cleveland's staff.
Photos of the Arizona Cardinals cheerleaders from the Cardinals matchup with the Tennessee Titans during Week 5 of the 2025 regular season




































































































































