Throughout his career, former Chiefs and current Rams cornerback Marcus Peters has been perhaps the NFL’s ultimate feast-or-famine player. Its easy to deal with the plays he gives up in coverage because he’s made so many plays for deflections and interceptions. From 2015 through 2017—Peters’ first three years in the league—he led the league with 19 total interceptions, and it wasn’t even close. Peters had 19 over those three seasons, and Oakland safety Reggie Nelson finished second with 14. Peters also led the league over that time period with 55 passes defensed, with Atlanta’s Robert Alford coming in second with 54.

The Chiefs, however, grew tired of Peters’ penchant for allowing touchdowns, and the penalties he drew with occasionally boneheaded on-field behavior. Last December, head coach Andy Reid benched Peters one game for throwing a penalty flag into the stands near the end of Kansas City’s 38-31 loss to the Jets. Peters left the game because he thought he had been ejected. That wasn’t the only issue—Peters allowed four touchdowns alongside the six passes he picked off—but in February, the Chiefs traded Peters to the Rams for a 2018 fourth-round pick and a 2019 second-round pick.

That seemed to be small draft capital for a defender of Peters’ caliber, but the intel on Peters was clear: For every amazing play, there may be something that sets your team back. Peters was part of a Rams offseason haul that also included cornerback Aqib Talib and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. And with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips—one of the greatest football minds of his generation—running that defense, it was hoped that Peters would maximize his talents and put his liabilities away.

So far, it hasn’t happened, and it’s been in a way they we haven’t seen before. Peters has just three penalties this season after putting up 10 in 2017, but his coverage skills appear to have fallen apart. It could be because Talib hasn’t been on the field since he was placed on injured reserve in Week 3, and it could be in part because Peters has been dealing with his own lower-body injuries, but he has not at all resembled the playmaker of past seasons. Per Pro Football Focus’ metrics, Peters had allowed five touchdown passes to just one interceptions through the first seven weeks of the season, with an opponent passer rating of 133.6—an enormous downturn from 2017’s opponent passer rating allowed of 60.9. And he’s fallen apart since Talib hasn’t been on the field. Yes, the Rams are still the NFL’s only unbeaten team, but this is a problem they need to correct.

Against the Packers in Week 8’s 29-27 win, Peters gave up a long pass to receiver Davante Adams on a simple stutter-go route. Peters has been biting and has been beaten on these kinds of double moves all season.

Peters also gave up two touchdowns against the Seahawks in a 33-31 Week 5 win over Seattle. I detailed both touchdowns in that week’s installment of the All-22, and they’re worth reviewing in this context.

The 39-yard touchdown to receiver Tyler Lockett in the second quarter presented a situation in which the Rams were especially vulnerable to backfield sleight-of-hand, because Peters had to take Lockett over the top on a deep post without any safety help. Peters was spying the backfield as Lockett cut his route to the post, and that was all it took for Lockett to speed right past the beleaguered cornerback for a wide-open score.

The 30-yarder to receiver David Moore came against a different concept—single-high with a lurk safety underneath—but the ability to make Peters bite on the play fake was the same. This time, Peters was caught scanning the backfield as Moore beat the coverage with a quick inside leverage play and a shake release outside.

Peters also gave up a 41-yarder to Adams late in the third quarter. After the play, he appeared to be frustrated, perhaps looking for safety help, but he couldn’t mirror Adams on the deep post in off coverage, and it was another unremarkable play.

In August, a more optimistic Phillips opined that though Peters was a gambler in coverage, he was actually more like “the casino.”

“I’m not sure it’s gambling,” the coach said, via Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire. “He’s kind of like the casino, he’s not the gambler. He makes the right decisions and has the percentages on his side. He has a great feel. He intercepted one against Baltimore in practice – he had a receiver on the other side of the field and he intercepted an out route. I still don’t know how he did that. He makes the right decisions and that’s what you do with really good players. If they make the right decisions, and if a guy doesn’t cover his guy at all and they throw it to his guy – but he’s not that kind of guy, he can cover his man really well. He can actually help with other people. He’s special.”

Maybe Peters’ injuries are catching up to him. Maybe he needs a veteran like Talib on the field to keep him straight. But through the 2017 season, there’s no question that, despite his obvious physical gifts, Marcus Peters has been one of the NFL’s more prominent disappointments. And if Peters is the casino, this is one of the rare cases where the casino is losing.