Buccaneers at Cardinals: Five Game-Changing Players

Patrick Peterson

Jameis Winston will have to look out for Patrick Peterson on Sunday afternoon. Peterson is arguably the best cornerback in the NFL and he’s only in his sixth season. He is strong in man coverage, but is perhaps just as good in zone coverage. As the No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 draft, he came into the league with high expectations surrounding him, but he really has delivered.

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Winston is coming off of a four-touchdown performance against Atlanta that earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Unfortunately for him and the Tampa Bay offense, things get tougher this week. How the Bucs’ offense responds on Sunday in a tough environment against a really good defense could say a lot about where it is in its development process. The two teams last squared off in Tampa during the 2013 season, with the Cardinals coming out on top by a score of 13-10. In that game, Peterson came up with two interceptions.

Peterson will likely be the man in charge of stopping Mike Evans on Sunday afternoon. For that reason, it’s easy to mark the former LSU Tiger as one of the players that could decide who wins the game. If he can shut down Evans, it might be a rough day for the Tampa Bay offense.

Next: Vincent Jackson