Chiefs vs. Ravens: Rush defense takes center stage in heavyweight tilt

Marcus Peters and Ravens’ secondary tries to stop Chiefs’ receivers

Former Kansas City Chiefs first round draft pick Marcus Peters will face his first NFL team once again, and he’ll be tasked with shutting down one of the NFL’s best receiving corps. While one of the best corners in the league, Peters is no sure lock to be a shutdown corner this weekend. He struggles with quickness in players like Tyreek Hill, and that could be a huge advantage for the Chiefs.

Asa result, do not be surprised if Mahomes tests him early. Peters is the type of player who can lose mental focus and be off an entire game if he gets burned a time or two early, or if he thinks an opposing team is deliberately targeting him. The other way to get under Peters’ skin is to run directly at him. Let Peters get run over by Anthony Sherman or Travis Kelce a time or two, and we’ll start to see him lose his cool quickly.

But of course, the rest of the Ravens’ secondary is okay, too. In particular, Peters’ counterpart Marlon Humphrey is also one of the top corners in football, and together they may do an adequate job of shutting down Hill and Sammy Watkins. But that’s where it gets troubling for Baltimore.

With little experienced depth and a safety group missing last year’s best player (Earl Thomas), matching up against Travis Kelce, Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson could prove difficult for Baltimore. We could see huge performances from Kelce and Hardman, even with quiet games from Hill and Watkins, which could lead to a lot of points for your favorite team.