Patrick Peterson named NFC DPOW for performance vs. Browns

Patrick Peterson’s season of eight games played includes as many highs as lows. The Arizona Cardinals can only hope their top cornerback can build on the highs of his performance this past Sunday against Odell Beckham Jr. and the Cleveland Browns.

The NFL named Peterson as the NFC Defensive Player of the Week after he put forward a strong individual game in Arizona’s 38-24 home win over Cleveland.

Peterson recorded seven tackles and made an end zone interception on the Browns’ first drive of the game. He had three passes defensed by the end of the night and nearly had another interception.

“It’s my first time ever going up against Odell,” Peterson said of the fellow LSU product after the game Sunday. “It was a pleasure. One fellow Tiger against another. It was a fun matchup, it was a fun game.

“I knew I was going to have a couple opportunities with (quarterback) Baker (Mayfield) being the gunslinger that he is, and I just wanted to make the best of the opportunities when they came toward me.”

Mayfield went 5-of-11 when throwing Peterson’s way, according to Pro Football Focus. That amounted to 38 yards.

Meanwhile, Peterson looked more like his old self — and said his legs are coming back — after an up-and-down season that followed a six-game PED suspension.

“He had a different look in his eye in practice,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said of Peterson after Sunday’s win. “He wanted to cover their top receiver and he asked for that. I thought he competed his tail off and it was good to see.”

The weekly award is Peterson’s fifth such career honor, tying him with quarterback Kurt Warner for most weekly nods in team history. Three of Peterson’s player of the week awards are for his defensive work; he added two special teams honors as a rookie punt return man in 2011.

Peterson joins current quarterback Kyler Murray (Week 6) and outside linebacker Chandler Jones (Week 7), the other two Cardinals who earned NFC Player of the Week awards this year.

Players of the Week 🏆🏆🏆
AFC

Offensive: QB Lamar Jackson, BAL
Defensive: CB Tre’Davious White, BUF
Special Teams: DE Angelo Blackson, HOU

NFC
Offensive: QB Drew Brees, NO
Defensive: CB Patrick Peterson, AZ
Special Teams: K Dan Bailey, MIN

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 18, 2019

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