KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Marcus Peters has duped just about every quarterback he
has faced into throwing an interception to him, whether it was Peyton Manning a
year ago or Derek Carr just last weekend.
He’d love nothing more than to add Drew Brees to his growing list Sunday.
The ball-hawking Peters will be tasked with leading an opportunistic Kansas
City Chiefs defense against the prolific passing attack of Brees and the New
Orleans Saints. It’s an important game for both teams with Kansas City coming
off a momentum-building win over Oakland and New Orleans having won two straight
after a calamitous start to the season.
“It’s the NFL. Every week you’re coming in against the best,” said Peters,
who has a league-leading five picks this season. “You have to prepare for every
quarterback to throw for 400 yards.”
But here’s the rub: Brees actually does throw for 400 yards.
Twice this season, in fact.
The 37-year-old Brees threw for 465 yards and four touchdowns to lead the
Saints (2-3) to a 41-38 victory over Carolina last weekend. It was a performance
that showcased the breadth and depth of the New Orleans offense, from
high-flying wide receiver Brandin Cooks to tight end Coby Fleener.
Brees found four different players for touchdown passes.
“I don’t have enough good things to say about him. He’s a phenomenal player,”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He works at the profession, he’s relentless. Is
he getting better? Maybe he doesn’t run as fast, but he sure has the skill
throwing the football.”
He also doesn’t make many mistakes, at least not this year. He’s only thrown
four picks.
That should cause all kinds of heartburn for the Chiefs (3-2), who lost
defensive end Allen Bailey and linebacker Justin March for the season this week,
and could be without cornerback Phillip Gaines, who is dealing with a knee
injury after having surgery to repair his ACL last year.
All of which puts even more pressure on Peters to make plays.
“When you see him, any errant throw or ball off-target, he gets his hands on.
He has elite hands,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “You have to be decisive
and your location has to be spot on. He can run, he can tackle. I think he’s one
of the real, real talented good, young corners in our league.”
the matchup between Brees and Peters is only part of the intrigue on Sunday.
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