Patrick Peterson went to the Cardinals' coaches last week and told them he wanted to take on Odell Beckham of the Browns.
Beckham was Cleveland's best receiver, a friend who like Peterson attended LSU, and the kind of player that ramps up Peterson's play.
By the time the game was over, Peterson had an interception and just missed a second, blanketed Beckham all day and was the emotional anchor for the Cardinals' defense in a 38-24 victory -- all things that earned the cornerback the NFC's Defensive Player of the Week award Wednesday morning.
He also had seven tackles against the Browns, along with three passes defensed.
It is Peterson's first player of the week award since 2014.
"It was a fun matchup; it was a fun game," Peterson said Sunday. "I knew I was going to have a couple opportunities with (QB) Baker (Mayfield) being the gunslinger that he is, and I just wanted to make the best of the opportunities when they came toward me."
It was Peterson's best game of the season -- Pro Football Focus gave him a 91.7 grade, one of the best grades of the week -- during a year in which the veteran has struggled in his return after a six-game suspension.
Peterson won the Defensive Player of the Week in 2013 as well as 2014. He won the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice in 2011, when he had four punt returns for touchdowns.
