Back in 2017, when cornerback Marshon Lattimore was just starting to find his footing in the NFL, nobody highlighted him more enthusiastically than NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger. Baldinger went out of his way to watch the rookie each week and feature the plays that set Lattimore apart from other NFL corners, almost leading the charge for Lattimore to earn Defensive Rookie of the Year recognition (which he won) on his own.
Things slipped up in 2018, with Lattimore getting bullied by Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Mike Evans in their first matchup. His sophomore year was more up-and-down, with Baldinger turning critical of his mistakes, and the 2019 season had a similar rough start. But that all turned around in a hurry once the Dallas Cowboys came to town. Lattimore kept Amari Cooper in check in preparation for a bigger challenge, with Evans returning to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday. And he passed that test with flying colors.
Lattimore took Evans away from Jameis Winston’s list of weapons, allowing neither of the two passes sent Evans’ way with Lattimore in coverage to be completed. P.J. Williams broke up a third lob to Evans on one of the few snaps Lattimore didn’t cover him. Check the box score: Evans had no catches, no yards, and no touchdown scores.
So of course Baldinger jumped to praise one of his favorite players. He put together a Baldy’s Breakdowns video highlighting Lattimore just hours after the game, putting the NFL world on notice that Lattimore was back to his old self. Check it out:
Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Lattimore trailed Evans all over the field, covering the big receiver on 43 of the 53 routes he ran against the Saints defense:
After the game, Lattimore couldn’t help but be pleased with his performance, though he stressed the importance of blocking out the noise and remaining focused on his job.
“At corner, you can’t ever feel like you have one up on somebody. Anything can happen at corner,” Lattimore told Luke Johnson of nola.com. “My teammates were coming up to me and telling me that he didn’t have any catches. Don’t jinx me, let me keep playing. I just stayed focused and locked in.”
