A suspension for cornerback Marcus Peters could prove to be detrimental to the Kansas City Chiefs come Sunday in Week 14.
The Kansas City Chiefs are going to be down a man for Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders. Per multiple reports the team is suspending cornerback Marcus Peters following his actions on Sunday during the team’s loss to the New York Jets. Peters is being suspended for Sunday’s game without pay because he left the field while the game was still in progress.
Peters threw a penalty flag in the final moments of the game. His teammate Steven Nelson was called for a defensive holding penalty on a Jets’ two-point conversion attempt. Peters received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the throw and promptly walked to the locker room, thinking he would be ejected. He was not ejected and upon learning this, returned to the field without socks, but did not manage to get back in the game.
What this means for Sunday is a long day for the Kansas City secondary. As a report from Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com notes, wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree could return for the game. Cooper has been nursing an injury while Crabtree was suspended for his altercation with Aqib Talib in Oakland’s game against the Denver Broncos on November 26.
The recently-signed Darrelle Revis may have to fill the void left by Peters. The veteran played in 36 snaps against the Jets last week and sat out the entire second half. If he is the one to replace Peters, he will certainly have a tall task ahead of him. Terrance Mitchell will also take snaps opposite of Nelson.
Kansas City is currently ranked No. 28 in the NFL in pass defense with 3,033 yards given up on the season. That breaks down to 253 yards allowed per game and 7.4 yards allowed per play. If Crabtree and Cooper return, they could have a field day against the defense. If I was creating the gameplan, I would try and mix in many vertical and slant plays. That way you force these corners to either have to catch up with your speed, or back up and play loose to try to avoid the big play. In this case, that would give you as a receiver more room to operate.
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Either way Kansas City is going to have their hands full. They are facing Derek Carr after all, and if there is one thing he has proven, it is that he has big-play capability. Why Peters is being suspended is surprising. If anything, a suspension for throwing the flag into the crowd should have come first, but that is not my call to make.