Marcus Peters Has Made The Ravens Defense Elite Again
When you think of the Ravens, you think great defense. It’s an organization synonymous for elite defenses. The only problem is, those famous faces are no longer in Baltimore. Ray Lewis isn’t walking through that door. Neither is Terrell Suggs, CJ Mosley, Haloti Ngata, Ed Reed, or Peter Boulware. It’s one of the things that made me love the Ravens growing up. While Baltimore struggled defensively early on in the year, they are starting to look like the old Ravens and one man deserves all the credit. That man is Marcus Peters. There is no question that Marcus Peters has made the Ravens defense elite again.
The best trade made during the NFL trade deadline was the acquisition of Marcus Peters from the Rams. Baltimore gave up bust linebacker Kenny Young to reel in one of the best corners in football. Peters wasn’t playing like that with the Rams, but it looks like that entire Rams team is in shambles. Since Peters has put the purple and black on, he looks like a monster again.
Peters’ arrival has changed the fortunes of this defense. Often times in gambling, individual defensive players aren’t even worth a point towards the spread. The stats don’t lie here. Peters has taken this Ravens defense from average to special. One guy has changed everything. Some players are more valuable than others on the defensive side of the ball. Marcus Peters is one of those players.
In the first 6 games of the season, Baltimore was giving up an average of 350 yards and 23 points per game. That was with the Dolphins, Cardinals, Chiefs, Browns, Steelers, and Bengals on the schedule. The defense was below average with a very easy schedule. The Ravens were also 4-2 and could have easily been 3-3 but squeezed out a lucky win in overtime against Pittsburgh.
Now compare that to what the defense has been doing with Peters’ arrival. The former first round pick from the University of Washington has been with the team for 5 games. Baltimore is giving up an average of 290 points and 12.5 points per game. That’s with the Seahawks, Patriots, Bengals, Texans, and Rams on the schedule. The Ravens are 5-0 and the average margin of victory hasn’t been close. If anything, opposing teams have been collecting garbage time stats or otherwise, it would look even better if that’s possible. The Ravens also rank 1st in defensive DVOA since the trade.
While Lamar Jackson has been playing out of his mind, the real story is the turnaround of this defense. The true identity of the Ravens is back. Run the football and play good defense. This Ravens secondary has to be the best in the league. It doesn’t get much better than Earl Thomas at safety. The depth at corner Baltimore has is outrageous. Jimmy Smith, Marlon Humphrey, and Brandon Carr are all productive. Marlon Humphrey is becoming real special. Even guys like Iman Marshall and Anthony Averett haven’t really factored in yet but provide depth. Then we get to Marcus Peters.
Marcus Peters is playing like a true number one corner. It’s not a surprise. The Ravens have wanted him for a long time. I remember when Ozzie Newsome was crushed when the Chiefs picked him in front of Baltimore in the 2015 NFL Draft. Baltimore has had their eyes set on Peters for a VERY long time. Peters has made a ridiculous impact right away. In 5 games, Marcus Peters has 3 interceptions and 2 defensive touchdowns. Prior to the Rams game, Peters had a passer rating against of 44.8. You were better off spiking the ball in the dirt rather than targetting him.
Nobody has more interceptions than Marcus Peters since he entered the NFL. Nobody is better at tracking the ball than Marcus Peters. You know what else? He’s brought a swagger back to this defense. Peters is fun, physical, and will get in your grill. The Ravens defense has a nasty and intimidating feel to them again. That’s because of Marcus Peters. Forget about everything else for a second. Marcus Peters has truly made the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl contenders. It’s because they can play defense again.
