Not long ago, it would have been fair, but clichéd, to say that Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson played football on an island.

He was so good that quarterbacks and offensive coordinators avoided him. The ball came his way so rarely that Peterson took showers after games out of habit, not necessity.

Those days are gone.

The Cardinals last three opponents – Washington, Detroit and Carolina – weren’t hesitant to throw in Peterson’s direction. At times, they seemed anxious to do so, and often were rewarded with catches and yards.

So for a third consecutive year, we’re asking: What’s up with Patrick Peterson?

In 2018, we asked after Peterson requested a trade at mid-season.

In 2019, we asked after Peterson was suspended six weeks for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

And in 2020, we’re asking because Peterson hasn’t played like the cornerback who was chosen to seven Pro Bowls, the one who was selected to the all-decade team (2010-2019), the one who is on a trajectory for selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Pro Football Focus has him graded 90th among cornerbacks through four games. That’s shockingly low and could be debated. But neither has Peterson played like the cornerback a poll of executives by The Athletic rated third best in the NFL. Nor the 8th highest paid corner in the NFL.

Peterson’s performance has generated several questions.

At 30, has Peterson lost a step or two?

He’s in the last year of his contract, is that on his mind?

And if Peterson doesn’t return to an elite level, how will the Cardinals, or a potential new employer, value him in 2021?

The season is only four games old, so there are no definitive answers at the moment. And Peterson is not among those asking questions. If you’re waiting for him to say he needs to play much, much better, you’re going to be missing out on a few birthdays.

Peterson doesn’t believe that, so he’s not going to say it just to pacify anyone.

Peterson intercepted a pass last week, but the Panthers completed a handful of important passes against Peterson, who sometimes was a few steps behind receivers on crossing routes.

There were communication breakdowns, Peterson said, times when he’s expected help from a safety, for instance, and didn’t receive it. And no opponent, he noted, has tested him deep down the sideline.

“It’s all condensed sets,” he said Thursday. “It’s all me running through traffic. Me having to avoid other people. It’s not like guys are beating me just straight up.

“That’s how teams are attacking us because they know we’re a man-to-man team. Picks, rubs, crossers. That’s the main route concepts we’re getting out of offenses. We’re just have to find a way to get up out of that, play a little bit more chess. It’s nothing that’s broke. We just have to make sure we’re sticking to the game plan, sticking to the basic fundamentals to help us win on those downs.”

Asked how Peterson was playing, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph replied “solid. We can all coach better and obviously play better.”

That wasn’t meant as a knock on Peterson, but it wasn’t a gushing endorsement, either.

Joseph did confirm that errors by others last week “left Pat chasing. We’re aware of the issues, as far as what teams are giving us. Those routes weren’t a surprise. We knew what was coming and we didn’t do well, as far as getting them right.”

Both Joseph and Peterson used the phrase “getting it off tape” when talking about the Cardinals’ need to improve coverage on crossing routes and various picks and rubs.

NFL teams generally study an opponent’s last four games in formulating game plans. Defending those routes better means opponents won’t run as many of them and gradually they “get off the tape.”

The same concept applies to individual players. If Peterson can get the last couple weeks “off tape,” he will have some quieter Sunday afternoons and earn another big pay day this offseason.

And if he doesn’t, it will confirm that he’s not the player he once was.

Reach Kent Somers at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter @kentsomers. Hear Somers every Monday and Friday at 7:30 a.m. on The Drive with Jody Oehler on Fox Sports 910 AM.

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