Arizona Cardinals rookie cornerback enjoys a memorable first game in Week 7

The Arizona Cardinals defense did a good job in keeping the Seattle Seahawks offense in check throughout the afternoon, despite the 20-10 loss. One reason is that the unit logged three takeaways, one of which was an interception from rookie cornerback Garrett Williams. 

Williams hadn’t suited up for an NFL game this season thanks to the torn ACL he suffered in late October 2022. Therefore, it made his first career interception in Game 1 of what will hopefully be a long NFL career more memorable. 

If you missed the play, here’s how it all went down: The Cardinals got pressure on quarterback Geno Smith, forcing him to roll left. Smith looked downfield, and threw just before he was hit. The ball floated downfield and was underthrown, allowing Williams to jump the pass and collect his first career interception. 

Arizona Cardinals rookie snags a pick in his first career game

Williams also recorded two tackles and a pass deflection in his NFL debut, providing much-needed help for a secondary that has had a tough time stopping star pass-catchers throughout the past three weeks. Fortunately for the Cards, they finally had a good day in the secondary, with the Seahawks leading receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, recording just 63 yards. 

Look for Williams’ playing time to continually increase in the coming weeks as the Arizona Cardinals slowly, but surely, get healthier. Safety Budda Baker also made his long-anticipated return to the starting lineup this week and recorded six tackles, plus one stop behind the line. 

And of course, it won’t be long until Kyler Murray replaces Joshua Dobbs (or Clayton Tune) under center. Sure, the Cards may be 1-6, but if they can get some key players back, perhaps they will make things interesting in November and December, even if the playoffs are out of the question at this point. 

Source: Cardinals rookie Garrett Williams makes red zone interception in NFL debut by Arizona Sports

(Statistics provided by ESPN.com)