Marcus Peters was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2015. That year, he led the NFL in four categories: interceptions (8), interception return yards (280), interceptions returned for touchdowns (2), and passes defended (26).
Two years later, Peters again led the NFL in interception return yards, with 137 on 5 interceptions. The next season, with the Ravens, he had 107 return yards on three interceptions.
This year? He’s recorded 5 interceptions for 210 yards and 3 touchdowns — leading the NFL in all three categories — while splitting his time between the Rams and Ravens.
Since the start of the 2015 season, Peters has 27 interceptions; no other player has more than 17 (Darius Slay). Over half of his interceptions have brought above over 20 yards, and he has just 6 interceptions where he hasn’t returned the pass.
Since the start of the 2015 season, Peters has 6 picks six; Aqib Talib is second with 4, and no other player has more than three.
Since the start of the 2015 season, Peters has 797 interception return yards; that’s over 150 more yards than the number two and three players (Talib and Stephon Gilmore) combined. Peters has produced a monstrous edge in this category since entering the league.
Assuming Peters finishes the 2019 as the leader in this category — a very likely bet, given that only Oakland S Erik Harris (145),
Pittsburgh’s Minkah Fitzpatrick (130), and Houston’s Tashaun Gipson (105) are the only other players in triple digits — this will be the third time in his career that he’s been the interception return yards king. That’s tied for the NFL record with Darren Sharper (2002, 2005, 2009) and only one other player since 1970 (Ed Reed) has even led the league in this category in two seasons.
Among players with at least 400 career interception return yards, R.W. McQuarters is the all-time leader in average return at 29.6. But he had only 14 interceptions; among players with at least 20 interceptions, Peters is in fact your career leader.
Some other notables on that chart: Ed Reed (64 INTs, 24.8 average), Deion Sanders (53, 25.1), Darren Sharper (63, 22.4), Glen Edwards (39. 24.6), and Rod Woodson (71, 1483). Rod Woodson is the all-time leader in picks six with 12; Charles Woodson and Sharper have 11 each, and Talib at 10 is the only other player in double digits.
Hall of Famer Ken Houston had an impressive 9 interception return touchdowns in the first five seasons of his career, but Peters is tied with Lem Barney for second-most picks six (6) through five years. And Peters passed Night Train Lane this season for the most interception return yards through five years; Lane is now second with 763, and Peters (797) is the all time leader… with two games to go.