KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The suspension of cornerback Marcus Peters was finished at the same time on Sunday as the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Oakland Raiders. Coach Andy Reid then wasted little time afterward and declared Peters would be back in the lineup for Saturday night’s game for first place in the AFC West against the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium.
Reid hasn’t backed off his statement since.
“The suspension is over,’’ Reid said. “Now he’s back in and ready to roll. That’s the way I’m going to handle it, and I know that’s the way he’ll handle it. For whatever wrong that took place, he’s paid that price and now he’s back, and I expect nothing but the best from him.’’
But considering how well the Chiefs’ previously struggling pass defense played without Peters in the win over the Raiders, is that the best way for them to go?
The Chiefs played their best defensive game of the season without Peters. The Raiders had 268 yards, which ties for the season-low for Chiefs opponents. Most of Oakland’s yards and all of their points came in the fourth quarter, after the Chiefs had built a commanding lead.
The Chiefs also played with a defensive energy they haven’t showed since early in the season. Cornerback Steven Nelson broke up a pass on the first play of the game, and it was the first of several for Chiefs’ defenders. Chris Jones followed with a sack two plays later. The Chiefs finished with three sacks and three takeaways.
“Nobody was waiting for somebody else to make the play,’’ linebacker Derrick Johnson said.
Reid acknowledged the defensive energy.
“We’ve had spurts of that but over the last few weeks it hasn’t been as consistent as anybody wanted, including the players,’’ he said. “I thought they did a real nice job of that.’’
The Chiefs also had some nice hits on Oakland’s physical running back, Marshawn Lynch. Johnson had the biggest one but linebacker Reggie Ragland had a couple of solid tackles on him.
“Marshawn is a great player, but I’m physical, too,’’ Ragland said. “Mindset coming into the game, I can’t worry about what he did to other guys on the field. I have to come in and play tough and strong and that’s what I did.”
By reintroducing Peters into the lineup, the Chiefs are risking much of this. Peters is unquestionably Kansas City’s most talented cornerback, but he hasn’t been the playmaker this year that he was in his first two NFL seasons.
He also hasn’t played with the same kind of energy. He’s shied away from most physical contact and often resorted to trying to strip the ball from an approaching ball carrier rather than tackle him.
His many off-the-field problems came to a head in the game against the Jets two weeks ago, when he tossed an official’s penalty flag into the stands and retreated to the locker room before game’s end without being ejected.
He’s been more of a distraction than a positive force for the Chiefs this season. Then they had a respite from all of it last week and, on defense at least, played their best game of the season.
It’s a mistake for Reid to ignore how things went for the Chiefs without Peters.
“We had to get back to playing our [type of] ball," Chris Jones said. “The defense, we came out playing like the first of the season. That’s all that boils down to, playing our type of football."