Football

Cardinals LB Haason Reddick says he's 'blessed by the Most High' after 5-sack performance

By Joshua Doering Dec 14, 2020
Arizona Cardinals LB Haason Reddick pressures New York Giants quarterback Colt McCoy, Dec. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Haason Reddick picked a convenient time to have the game of his career. The Arizona Cardinals linebacker set a franchise record with five sacks and forced three fumbles in a 26-7 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday. Arizona moved to 7-6 on the season and claimed possession of the NFC’s final wild-card spot with the win.

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“I felt like everybody knew that this was a game that we needed, so the fact that we came out here and played hard and you know, we got the ‘W,’ hopefully is a spark for us and it pushes us for the rest of the season,” Reddick said in his postgame press conference.

Immediately after the game, Reddick was overcome with emotion on the Cardinals sideline:

“I cried at the end of the game filled with joy, you know, felt blessed,” Reddick said. “This whole year has just been important to me and to see things going the way I want them going, to see today happen, is just amazing.”

It’s an important year because it’s Reddick’s most productive yet — even before Sunday’s incredible performance. The No. 13 overall pick from 2017 had five sacks this season entering the game, then doubled that total against the Giants. He had a total of 7.5 sacks in three years prior to 2020. His 13 tackles for loss this season are also a career high.

The lack of production in his first three years made Reddick a popular target for criticism. He tried adjusting from playing defensive end in college at Temple to being an inside linebacker at the pro level, but a move to outside linebacker this season appears to have been the spark he needed.

“When a guy like that — who’s stuck with it, who didn’t let the noise get him down, didn’t let any sort of frustration get him down, he just kept working — has a game like that, you couldn’t be happier for him,” head coach Kliff Kingsbury said.

Reddick’s standout performance led him to reflect on the arduous journey it’s been to this point, and made him appreciate his record-breaking day even more.

Walking off the field, the 26-year-old said he was “blessed by the Most High” in a video released by the Cardinals:

The Cardinals close out the regular season with home games against the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers before visiting the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17. If Arizona holds onto a playoff spot, it will be the first time since 2015 the team reaches the postseason.

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