Seahawks face familiar foe on Ravens – and it’s not Earl Thomas
The Seahawks will see a familiar face in the Ravens defensive backfield Sunday. It’s former Rams corner Marcus Peters I’m talking about, not Earl Thomas.
There’s certainly no shortage of talk about the reunion of safety Earl Thomas and the Seahawks this Sunday. I agree with our own renowned Lee Vowell, who urged all 12s to welcome Thomas and thank him for all he did for the team. That’s a big story, but Marcus Peters is getting overlooked in all the hubbub.
Before the Rams traded for Jalen Ramsey, they dealt away a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback in Marcus Peters. A big reason Los Angeles traded him to the Ravens is that he earned his honors with the Chiefs. He posted 14 interceptions in his first two seasons with Kansas City, including two pick-sixes as a rookie. Add in 46 pass defenses, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries, and you’ve got a Pro Bowl player.
His stats dropped in 2017, his final year with the Chiefs. While a drop from six interceptions to five is hardly critical, his pass defenses plummeted from twenty to just nine. He did force three fumbles and recover two, even taking one in for a touchdown. Regardless, it wasn’t enough, as the Chiefs shipped him to the Rams for draft picks.
Peters certainly didn’t play as well in Los Angeles as he had in Kansas City. He had just three interceptions (although he did score on one) and broke up eight passes. He was good, but definitely wasn’t playing at a Pro Bowl level. The Rams stuck with him to start the 2019 season, but decided they’d seen enough. Or to be more precise, seen too little.
That’s odd, as he was actually playing better this year. In six games Peters has two picks and four pass defenses, both better than last year’s rate. Pro Football Focus rates him at 76.6 points so far, compared to just 62.1 last year. For the record, Ramsey has zero interceptions and broken up one pass in three games this season.
How has Peters played against the Seahawks? He has no picks, one pass defense, and one fumble recovery. That fumble recovery came in the Hawks-Rams game just two weeks ago, and gave Los Angeles the ball at Seattle’s 33-yard line. Happily the good guys eventually prevailed, thanks to the magic of Russell Wilson and that otherworldly catch by Tyler Lockett.
Next. Delanie Walker, anyone?. dark
The Rams may have given up on Marcus Peters, but he’s still a quality defender facing the Hawks for the fourth time in two seasons. He may not know Wilson’s tendencies as well as Thomas does, but he’s too familiar with Seattle for my liking. I don’t believe he’s enough to tip the scales in the Ravens favor, but I wish the Rams had sent him to some other team. Like the BC Lions.