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Chiefs’ Marcus Peters continues racking up interceptions

By Megan Armstrong

Oct 11, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters (22) celebrates after breaking up a pass against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. The Bears won 18-17. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters (22) celebrates after breaking up a pass against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. The Bears won 18-17. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Marcus Peters is proving to be an interception machine

Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Marcus Peters has been in the NFL for a grand total of 21 games, which dates back to his rookie debut at the start of the 2015 season. But he has wasted no time making a name for himself through interceptions, adding to his stock by consistently subtracting the ball from opponents — simple addition by subtraction.

As ESPN NFL television host Trey Wingo tweeted on Monday afternoon, “Marcus Peters has 12 picks since start of 2015. 6 TEAMS don’t have that many since start of 2015.”

Two of those 12 career interceptions came on Sunday off of New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who definitely spread the wealth by throwing six interceptions in a 24-3 Jets loss at Arrowhead Stadium.

But back to Peters, the six teams that the young Chiefs star has racked up more interceptions than since the beginning of 2005, which Wingo is referencing in his tweet are Detroit (10), New Orleans (9), Jacksonville (11), Chicago (9), Dallas (10) and Baltimore (11). Of Peters’ 21 career games, three have featured him intercepting his opposing quarterback twice in one game. Peters has back-to-back two-interception games this season coming on Sunday and last week in Houston. He currently leads the NFL in interceptions this season with four.

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Former NFL quarterback and current Bleacher Report NFL insider Chris Simms joined the choir singing Peters praises on Sunday during the Chiefs and Jets game. Simms tweeted, “Marcus Peters is unreal. Unreal. He has the best ball skills as a corner since Deion Sanders.”

ESPN‘s NFL Twitter account noted that, through their first 21 NFL games, all-time great defensive backs Deion Sanders and Darrelle Revis each had six interceptions — half of Peters’ electric start.

Peters, a second-year cornerback out of Washington, is proving worthy of the Chiefs’ first round pick (18th overall) in the 2015 draft. There was hesitation toward Peters prior to that draft due to the ever-popular buzzword: “character concerns.” For Peters, that boiled down to his temper at the University of Washington where he got into multiple confrontations with coaches before ultimately being kicked off of the Huskies football team in November 2014.

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Peters took responsibility for his actions afterward in telling USA Today‘s Tom Pelissero in February 2015 that, “It was an avalanche ready to happen, man. It was going to collapse sooner or later.”

Later in the Pelissero’s story, Peters is also quoted as saying: “They were working with me a lot, and I just – I didn’t get it. I didn’t see it in front of me that they were trying to help me out. To be honest, I would tell you today: Why wouldn’t you kick me off the team? He was trying to help me. He was teaching me some hard lessons at that time, and I just didn’t take it right.”

Peters is getting it now. The past has stayed in the past, and he is making a home for himself in Kansas City one interception at a time.

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