Patrick Peterson Has Quietly Been Excellent

Patrick Peterson
Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Last season’s horror show on defense saw head coach Mike Zimmer look to bolster his team’s defensive ranks coming into this season. One area that needed vast improvement was the cornerback position. Zimmer sought to solve the issue with the signing of Patrick Peterson on a one-year, $10 million deal.

The former fifth overall pick from 2011 enjoyed a stellar career in Arizona. His ten-year stay included nine pro bowls, 3 times first-team all-pro, and the 2010’s NFL all-decade team. At 30 years of age and the perception of a career declining, the Cardinals decided to move on from the LSU alumnus. 

Coach Zimmer was quick to pounce and secured a player that would not only improve the team with his play on the field but also his leadership — surely hoping to have a similar impact and prolong a career at the top level as he did with Terrence Newman. Alhough, Peterson comes to the Vikings a lot younger than Newman did.

New Teammates

The Vikings started the 2021 season with a completely new look secondary. Veteran safety Harrison Smith was all that remained from the previous season when team starters were named. Peterson was named starter with fellow recruits Bashaud Breeland at corner and Xavier Woods at safety. Returning from a year away, Mackensie Alexander was the first choice in the slot. With so much change on the Vikings defense this season, the unit had an indifferent start. 

There was some good, some bad, and some downright ugly. With new players getting used to coach Zimmer’s style of defense and long-term injured players returning to game sharpness, the defense has steadily improved as the season progresses — particularly limiting the opposition from scoring points. The Vikings defense is giving up an average of 21.8 points per game, which is the ninth-best in the league. At home in front of fans at US Bank Stadium, it’s even more impressive, averaging just 16 points a game which is the sixth-best in the league.

The Start to Life in Purple

Patrick Peterson has settled in nicely in Minnesota. It was clear from day one that he was happy to be here and was embracing a new challenge in his career. Peterson has taken position as the right side cornerback and has mostly had his side of the field locked down. He’s quietly made a very good start to his career in Minnesota.

On the opposite side of the field, Bashaud Breeland has struggled and has been targeted by teams. The Detroit Lions decided against picking on the Vikings left side, which gave Peterson more chance to show up with big plays.

So far this season, Pro Football Focus gives him an overall grade of 66.0, which is 42nd out of 110 cornerbacks. It’s also a significant increase in his grade for his last season in Arizona, which was 55.2. PFF gives him a coverage grade of 65.0 and a run defense grade of 65.5. Peterson called out PFF after the Bengals game for marking him down for giving up plays, which he says weren’t his coverage. They later adjusted his score. In five games so far, Peterson has ten tackles and two pass deflections.

Rest of the Season

Peterson has been good in coverage, and with an ever-improving pass rush, the chances to make big plays could increase. One of the big questions surrounding this Vikings team is who should play opposite Peterson at left cornerback. Bashaud Breeland started the season there and has had a difficult time. Cameron Dantzler found himself in Mike Zimmer’s doghouse. Once he got a chance to play, he impressed and looked set to push for the starting role. Then, he missed last week’s game, leaving Breeland with another chance to start. He probably has his best game so far — he still needs to improve vastly — but it might have been enough for Zimmer to stick with him another week.

Like the Vikings defensive unit as a whole, Peterson has continued to improve week on week. I expect that to continue to happen, and the best is yet to come. We might not be seeing prime Patrick Peterson, but we still see a very good corner.

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