Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Patrick Peterson's Return Could Create Some Fits for Giants Passing Offense
Last week, Patriots All-Pro cornerback Stephen Gillmore gave Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones fits when he recorded one interception and three pass breakups, one of which was tipped in the air resulting in another interception.
This week when the Giants host the Arizona Cardinals, Jones will square off in part against another top-caliber cornerback in Patrick Peterson, a three-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback who returns from a six-game league-imposed suspension this week.
“He’s a topflight corner in this league,” said Giants head coach Pat Shurmur. “Certainly, anyone that has his skill and ability, and has played as well as he has for as long as he has, that’ll be a boost to their defense.”
In his eight-year career, Peterson has 23 interceptions, and 76 passes defended in 128 games. His interception total puts him 12th on the NFL’s all-time list among active cornerbacks.
“He is one of the most athletic humans I have ever been around, he plays hard,” said Giants wide receiver Golden Tate, who played against Peterson for four seasons when he was a member of the Seahawks.
“You have to be aware of where he is. He takes the right chances. We are going to try to study up what we know and what we can on him and go out there and execute.”
“You have to be very careful when throwing the ball in his direction for a lot of reasons,” Giants offensive coordinator Mike Shula reiterated.
“He plays with a lot of confidence, as we’ve all seen throughout his career. Again, we have to be very careful throwing the ball that way.”
Peterson’s return could give a boost to a Cardinals pass defense, which has allowed an average of 281.2 yards per game to opponents, 30th in the league.
The Cardinals have also yet to record an interception this season, while the Giants have tossed eight thus far.
Jones has been working to clean up some of the mistakes that have led to turnovers, most notably determining when to be aggressive with the ball versus when to play it conservatively.
“Yeah, recognizing certain things as opportunities to be aggressive or not. I think it’s a lot of that, just seeing more and understanding that,” Jones said.
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