Arizona Cardinals Patrick Peterson coming into his own at cornerback
Sep 18, 2012, 9:32 PM | Updated: 11:25 pm
The indelible image of Patrick Peterson from the Cardinals’ 20-18 upset victory over the Patriots on Sunday in Foxboro was undoubtedly his diving interception of a tipped Tom Brady pass on New England’s first drive of the day.
It’s the kind of play that made its way onto all the highlight shows by Sunday night, but it doesn’t tell the entire story of the second-year cornerback’s maturation under Ray Horton’s defensive scheme.
According to ProFootballFocus.com, Peterson played a near perfect game against Bill Belicheck and Co. Outside of a potential holding penalty call he got away with in the 3rd quarter, the former LSU standout was certainly a thorn in the side of the defending AFC champions.
Only six balls were thrown his direction in Arizona’s first road win of the 2012 season. And of those six passes, only two were completed.
“I thought I played pretty well, but I still have some room for improvement,” Peterson said. “This was a great opportunity. Any time you can get a win that’s huge, especially against a pretty good opponent like the New England Patriots.”
In 2011, Peterson was targeted an astounding 113 times and gave up 67 receptions, both respectively good for fifth-most among all cornerbacks. He finished the season with just two interceptions.
But if two games are any indication in 2012, then Peterson is certainly on his way to becoming the versatile, shutdown corner the Cardinals projected he’d be.
Peterson — who also recorded the Cardinals’ longest run from scrimmage in New England — will have no room for a letdown this weekend, as Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and the Philadelphia Eagles come to town for a Week 3 showdown of undefeated teams.
