INGLEWOOD — Rams running back Cam Akers instantly regretted his decision to taunt when he noticed Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker was still laying on his back and surrounded by medical trainers.
Akers didn’t know Baker was briefly unconscious after the two had a helmet-to-helmet collision late in the third quarter of Monday night’s wild-card playoff game at SoFi Stadium.
Akers pumped his right hand down at Baker as he rolled onto his back with stiff arms. Seconds later, Akers was shaking his head in regret while the medical team removed Baker’s facemask from his helmet and brought out the stretcher.
“It was just a football play,” Akers told reporters after the Rams defeated the Cardinals, 34-11, to advance to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. “It was nothing personal, obviously. I got the utmost respect for Budda and that team in general. Hoping he’s doing good.”
Baker was moving his hands while laying on the stretcher, as players from both teams surrounded him to show support. Baker was taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation of a concussion, the Cardinals announced. He was alert and communicative and never lost feeling or movement, according to the medical staff.
Emotions got the best of Akers when he initially thought he had a run of 11 yards, which was later called back for a holding penalty. Probably no one felt worse than the Rams’ second-year running back when Baker was stretchered off the field. Akers also tweeted after the game to express support for Baker, a two-time first-team All-Pro.
Prays up to Budda . I didn’t know he was hurt after the play but I have nothing but respect for him .
— Cam akers (@thereal_cam3) January 18, 2022
It wasn’t that long ago that Akers suffered a troubling injury of his own. He wasn’t supposed to be playing this soon, but there he was putting the final touches on the Rams’ wild-card victory against their division rival.
Akers tore his right Achilles’ tendon in July before training camp. The Rams’ leading rusher during the 2020 season was well aware of what he had just accomplished in a playoff game.
“Just blessed, man,” Akers said after logging 95 total yards against the Cardinals. “Being able to come off an injury like that, you know, five-and-a-half months after surgery. Nobody has done that. Just to be able to be in that category, first player to do that, feels good.”
Akers believes he’s the first NFL player to see game action less than six months after tearing an Achilles’ tendon.
Some players aren’t the same on the field after suffering the devastating injury and others need a full year to regain their footing.
Akers only needed a game to display quickness and acceleration while running through lanes. Akers had a game-high 17 carries for 55 yards, and also had a 40-yard catch on a trick-play pass from wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
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“It’s unbelievable,” Rams coach Sean McVay said of Akers. “I don’t think the stats tell the story for how good he looked. … Also, thoughts and prayers to Budda Baker. I got tremendous respect for him. I’m hopeful that he’s going to be OK, but I thought Cam was outstanding. He did a great job and he’s only getting more and more confident.”
Last week, Akers only had five carries for 3 yards and three catches for 10 yards in the regular-season finale against the San Francisco 49ers. It only took Akers one game to regain his spot as the team’s closer in the fourth quarter.
As a team, the Rams ran the ball 38 times for 140 yards, with Sony Michel gaining 58 yards on 13 carries. The Rams leaned on the running game in their third matchup with the Cardinals, as quarterback Matthew Stafford only threw the ball 17 times.
“I knew it was part of the game plan,” Akers said of getting more carries this week. “We were going to run the ball a lot, lean on the running backs a lot.”
Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker suffers a head injury as his helmet is tucked under Rams running back Cam Akers during the fourth quarter of their NFC wild-card playoff game on Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Baker was diagnosed with a concussion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)