Pro Football Focus says Patrick Peterson was one of the best players in Week 10
Nov 15, 2016, 1:21 PM
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson (21) points to the stands after intercepting a pass agains the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Patrick Peterson had a quiet day in coverage in Sunday’s 23-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
As a cornerback, that’s a good thing.
Pro Football Focus listed Patrick Peterson as the ninth best player in Week 10 after another shut-down performance.
OK, it came against the 49ers, but this week Patrick Peterson played 63 snaps, 41 of which were in coverage, and allowed just five receiving yards. He was thrown at twice in the game, allowing one catch, and otherwise effectively eradicated his man from the passing game and shut down his area of the field. His play wasn’t strictly limited to coverage, as he made four tackles and two defensive stops, but this was a display of true shutdown cornerbacking from Peterson in the Cardinals’ close win.
Besides being one of the best corners in the game, the 49ers didn’t have much of a reason to throw it towards Peterson. Justin Bethel received an extensive amount of defensive snaps because of Marcus Cooper playing the slot corner role, a role typically filled by safety Tyrann Mathieu who was sidelined with a shoulder injury. With the mismatches in the secondary, that might’ve been a big reason Peterson only saw 6.67 percent of Colin Kaepernick’s passes.
On the year, Peterson has two interceptions, three pass deflections and 23 tackles. The numbers may not be eye-popping, but for cornerbacks, the numbers may not be the best way to judge someone.
