When the Baltimore Ravens take on the Houston Texans, all eyes will be on the quarterbacks. However, the attention should instead be on Marcus Peters.
Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has been a very busy man this year, and one of his finest moves was acquiring cornerback Marcus Peters from the Los Angeles Rams. Baltimore entered the 2019 season with a plethora of talented corners, only for the position to be hit with the injury bug. DeCosta added Peters to help stop the bleeding, and it’s worked wonderfully.
Well, maybe perfection is a better way to describe it:
Since joining the #Ravens, through weeks 7-10, Marcus Peters has the best grade among corners (min. 50 snaps)
— PFF BAL Ravens (@PFF_Ravens) November 15, 2019
The trade seems to be working out well for Baltimore #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/UH9DHhcdW1
It’s this move that has helped to redirect the Ravens defense for the better. The unit was, shall we say, underperforming prior to the trade for Marcus Peters. Since then, the team looks like the best in the NFL. The defense can now go stride-for-stride with this insane offense; Baltimore is a championship-caliber team.
During the time that Peters has been a Raven, the team is 3-0 against the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, and Cincinnati Bengals. Peters also has two pick-sixes in that stretch. He and Marlon Humphrey have become the league’s deadliest cornerback duo. They’ll have their hands full this week vs. the Houston Texans and quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson is having himself an MVP caliber season. Matched with the best wide receiver in the NFL in DeAndre Hopkins, the Texans will give Baltimore’s defense headaches. That’s where Marcus Peters steps in.
While it will be largely on Humphrey to mirror Hopkins, Peters will no doubt be tasked with matching up to the All-Pro receiver. Even if he’s not, Watson can make a threat out of any of his available weapons. Peters will be on edge all afternoon and will need to bring his A-game in his biggest challenge of the season: forcing turnovers on an MVP candidate.
Marcus Peters has already displayed this ability in his first game as a Baltimore Raven vs. the Seattle Seahawks. Peters intercepted Russell Wilson for the first time in 2019 and returned in for a touchdown. Peters made an incredibly loud statement that he wasn’t to be toyed with and that he’s an elite defender.
He’ll need to do the same thing this week and remind the NFL why he’s so good at what he does.
The Baltimore Ravens will have all hands on deck when the Houston Texans stroll into town with their terrific offense. Baltimore’s defense can only hope to slow them down enough for their offense to out-score Houston, but if Marcus Peters can continue his elite level of play then the Ravens chances just skyrocketed.