Stats Fail to Show Impact of Xavier McKinney, Budda Baker

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Two of the key players for Sunday’s game between the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals will be their polar-opposite safeties, Xavier McKinney and Budda Baker.

Few safeties are better playmakers than McKinney, though you might not know it with his one interception in five games. Essentially, opponents’ game plans have been to see where McKinney is lined up and throw the ball somewhere else.

For the Packers, who entered Week 7 ranked next-to-last with two takeaways, the key not only for this game but the rest of the season will be to figure out how to get McKinney more opportunities to make game-changing plays after he finished second in the NFL with eight interceptions last season.

“We might run a certain play on a certain down for a certain player or play, just knowing that and having that in my head and inserting myself into a spot where, OK, potentially I could get an opp right here,” McKinney said this week.

“That’s something that I’ve been doing is studying on different downs, seeing what guys are doing, where they’re going to be placed, so I can put myself in a position where, OK, I know I’m going to get an opp over here to at least have the opportunity to make a play. Just doing those little things in my head – film study and talking to the coaches of seeing how I can find ways to do that.”

McKinney and Hafley meet twice a week. Where to place McKinney based on situations and tendencies is always part of those talks.

The bad news is those talks haven’t turned into takeaways. The good news is the Packers have allowed a league-low six completions of 20-plus yards. They haven’t allowed a passing play of 40-plus yards since Week 1 of last season.

“It’s cool but it’s boring,” McKinney said of the respect being shown by opponents. “I’m being honest. It’s boring. Especially with how we’re playing, it can get kind of boring back there a little bit. But I just try to keep finding ways to get involved and to place myself in positions where I can get more involved into these games and make some more plays.”

McKinney usually lines up as the deep safety, which is his preference. With the power of Green Bay’s pass rush, and with McKinney’s proven playmaking production, opponents aren’t throwing it deep.

Would it help to move McKinney around the defense even more? Or will quarterbacks still avoid him like the plague?

“I think if you were to put me by whoever their go-to is,” McKinney said. “They going to trust their go-to, you know what I’m saying? I think in that aspect, if you think of it that way, it don’t really matter. They not going to just go away because I’m there. No, they’re going to believe that their guy is the guy. I think there’s different ways where we can incorporate just moving different things around, but we’ll get to it as we keep moving on the season.”

Green Bay Packers receiver Dontayvion Wicks is tackled by Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (3) and linebacker Kyzir White. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Baker was a second-team All-Pro last season, his seventh consecutive that ended with Pro Bowl honors. In nine seasons, he has only seven interceptions. That’s less than McKinney had last season alone. However, he had 164 tackles, including 10 for losses, last season.

Like McKinney, he’s got the ability to move around based on what he sees with 118 NFL starts under his belt.

“It’s definitely not freelance,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “They free him up in regards to allowing him to be a player, and they do a lot of good things with him. He’s a dynamic football player, and you better know where he’s at all times because he can wreck you in both the run game and the pass game.”

Baker hasn’t had an interception since 2022 but has broken up two passes this year and is a force against the run when he’s in the box.

“Man, Budda, you’ve just got to always be ready, know where he’s at,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “The type of defense they play is a very unique style. Not too many teams do it, and they give Budda some freedom to roam around and to insert in different ways and blitz and just present you a lot of different looks where you never really know where he’s going to be at.

“You’ve just got to know where he’s at and understand that at any time he can drop down to the left side or the right side, he can drop deep, he can blitz, so just got to stay aware of him. He’s definitely one of their best players, an impact player so just knowing where he’s at” is important.”

It will be vital for both quarterbacks to identify the premier safeties, even if they are having down seasons from a production standpoint. Baker is on pace for 116 tackles, down by almost 50 from last year. McKinney not only has just one interception but he’s averaging 0.4 pass breakups per game, down from his 0.62 over the previous four seasons.

“I’m good, man. I’m in good spirits,” he said. “To me, I always see it as everything is always going to happen exactly how it’s supposed to. So, I’m never going to press or anything like that. I know it’ll end up falling my way.

“But the biggest thing for me is I can’t come here with being in my feelings or feeling a type of way because, at the same time, yeah, I want all this stuff to happen, but I still I got to lead these guys, too. My energy always got to be high. I always got to make sure mood-wise I’m always into it, regardless of if I’m making plays or if I’m not making plays. I still got other responsibilities that I have to make sure that I take care of.”

More Green Bay Packers News