Patrick Peterson and Doug Baldwin will see a lot of each other on the field at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday night.
But before their in-person meeting, the Cardinals cornerback and Seahawks wide receiver met in virtual form, facing each other in a game of "Madden NFL 17" in the first round of the Xbox NFL Player Charity Challenge.
The winner of the eight-man challenge will earn $51,000 on behalf of their charity of choice. Peterson was playing on behalf of Patrick Peterson's Foundation for Success.
Peterson said he hadn't played "Madden" much since his daughter was born last season, and it showed, as he fell behind early thanks to a pair of long touchdown passes by Baldwin.
Peterson responded with a 1-yard David Johnson touchdown run and a bomb to Larry Fitzgerald to cut Baldwin's lead to 14-12 at halftime. (Peterson went for two after both of his first-half touchdowns but did not convert.)
The turning point of the game came early in the second half, as Peterson threw an interception that led to a Baldwin field goal. Peterson scored on another a last-minute Johnson TD run, but Baldwin recovered the ensuing onside kick, wrapping up a 24-19 victory over his division rival.
But take heart, Birdgang: Peterson said the result was not a spoiler for how Sunday night's real meeting between the Seahawks and Cards will play out.
"Obviously I didn't execute my gameplan that I wanted to execute here," he said. "I fell short, but hopefully we will not fall short Sunday night."
