Revenge of the Birds
Arizona Cardinals kick returner Andre Baccellia will not return to the game versus the Houston Texans. He was taken off the field on a cart with 1:46 left before halftime.
Baccellia took the kickoff after Texans’ kicker Kai Fairbairn had converted on a 22-yard field to advance the lead to 23-7. Baccellia took the kick at the three-yard line, then went down into a mass of players at Arizona’s 29-yard line. As bodies began to lessen the pile, Baccellia remained on the turf.
After trainers rushed onto the field, the medical cart was summoned and Baccellia was straped down with an apparent neck injury. He was then taken to a Houston-area hospital for further evaluation.
A spokesman for the Cardinals then announced that Baccellia was able to fully move his extremities. As he was being taken off the field, he gave a thumbs-up to the crowd.
Baccellia has mainly participated on the Cardinals practice squad. He went undrafted in 2020 and has been with Arizona since the 2021 season. He has bounced back and forth from the practice squad to the main roster and was signed to the main roster on November 12.
For his career, he has played in 17 NFL games with one start, has 14 targets with nine catches for 53 yards, four first-down conversions, and zero touchdowns. Baccellia also returned eight kickoffs for 183 yards and no scores.
