The football community was treated to what may be an AFC Championship preview, with the Buffalo Bills taking on Baltimore Ravens. Josh Allen, an MVP hopeful going for the high score against former MVP Lamar Jackson. While these players played a big role, it was Marcus Peters who sparked some controversy late in the Baltimore loss in Sunday’s battle that came down to the wire.
Baltimore had a lot of broken coverages in the back end of their defense already coming into Week 4 (NFL-worst 353.3 YPG), and they let another big opportunity slip away on Sunday. But this time, it was more so over the course of the second half, along with an offense that simply stopped scoring instead of the pass defense continuing to be a big problem.
It led to Peters, a two-time All-Pro corner letting his frustrations be known loudly.
While it’s unclear exactly what Peters was upset about, he blew up at head coach John Harbaugh on the sidelines late in the game. The CBS broadcast managed to catch a very brief clip of the verbal spat, which looked pretty heated.
Peters has played in 27 games under Harbaugh since coming to the team from the Rams via trade in 2019. He was named a first-team All-Pro and earned a Pro Bowl nod in his first season in Baltimore, and he added four interceptions last season. But clearly, he was ticked off about something on game day. Was it simply the possibility of a loss? It’s certainly possible.
Related: Bills mount furious comeback to rally at Ravens
Marcus Peters likely upset with John Harbaugh’s offensive approach
The Ravens appeared to be in an ideal position to move to 3-1 on the season, leading Buffalo 20-3 with two minutes to go before halftime. Allen quickly led the Bills’ offense down with an 11-play, 76-yard drive that took just 98 seconds. And the game continued to unravel after the break. Buffalo would score 20 unanswered points to close out the game with a 23-20 victory to move to 3-1 instead of the Ravens doing so.
In typical Buffalo fashion, they punted just once on their last five drives of the game. Baltimore’s last five drives saw them punt three times, including their last two drives ending in interceptions. It was those interceptions that would prove costly as Buffalo continued putting points on the scoreboard.
Perhaps the play that drew the ire from Peters was the decision to have Lamar Jackson attempt a pass on a 4th-and-Goal attempt at the 2-yard-line. That’s when Jackson threw his final interception of the day when three points could have given Baltimore the lead. Instead, Allen once again led a 12-play, 77-yard drive to get Buffalo in field goal range to seal the deal with a 21-yard kick from Tyler Bass. 23-20. Ballgame.
Related: Predicting NFL playoff bracket and Super Bowl 2023 winner