I don’t think Adrian Peterson will ever have a game as bad as this one he had against the 49ers, stats wise at least. Adrian had 14 rushes for a total of 3 yards and a 0.2 yards per rush average. His longest run was 4 yards. The Niners were determined not to let Adrian beat them. You would think that game plan could beat the Vikes who showed little else offense wise other than Adrian the first half of the season. But Tavaris Jackson is starting to show he does have some game and the Vikings finished off San Francisco in an easy one 27 - 7.
The Vikings take on the Bears Monday night at the Metrodome and I think Adrian will be ready to rebound from this one. It will be interesting to see if the Bears take the same approach as t he Niners did. The Vikings beat the Bears in Chicago earlier this season in a fun one, 34 - 30. Adrian rushed for 224 yards and 3 touchdowns in that game plus a 9 yard reception.
Adrian Peterson donated his purple jersey and white pants he wore for his record breaking game of 296 yards for a single game rushing record to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
With an honor like this its hard for a fan not to think about what might have been. Instead of one Adrian Peterson jersey in Canton, it could easily have been two, and maybe even a third for season rushing records without Adrian’s knee injury. Adrian was quoted in USA Today saying “It’s not going to change, so no reason to hold your head down and pout about it”. He’s got a great attitude and if he can handle it so well fans should be able to do the same. Let Adrian heal and you can look forward to next years opportunities.
Today in the Vikings Monday press conference after yesterday’s embarrassing 34-0 loss to Green Bay Packers, Brad Childress informed the media that Adrian Peterson sustained an LCL injury to his right leg. Adrian has a partial tear to the LCL ligament. The injury is classified as a Grade 2+ injury out of 3, with a grade 3 being the worst possible in which the LCL would be completely torn.
The Adrian Peterson injury has been a roller coaster of thoughts for Viking Fans. Initially seeing Adrian go down I thought his knee was done with a complete ACL tear and he was done for the season. Then after seeing some replays where the hit was on the inside of the knee, his leg was not planted with a gruesome snap, he walked off the field, and hearing reports of Adrian moving on the sidelines and wanting to go back in, I thought maybe we got lucky with a bad bruise to the knee cap or something. Now today we find out it’s somewhere in the middle, Adrian has a partial tear and should be back in a few games.
A partial tear like this makes me nervous that it could be totally torn down the line. The LCL does not seem to be as critical as cruciate tear but when it happens to your super star that shows the promise of a Walter Payton, Eric Dickerson, or Barry Sanders you can’t help but be bummin’. All we can hope for is that the tear was not too bad and Adrian gets enough time off to heal all the way. Looks like Eric Dickerson’s all time rushing record is safe this year, Eric’s rookie record might also be safe. I guess its really time to look forward to next year.
You can see video at NFL.com of Adrian Peterson’s catch and run where he injures his knee.
The knee and ligaments image is from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons web site. Be sure to check it out for more information on these kinds of knee injuries.
It would be nice if my most anticipated game of the year could at least be in Minnesota, but with our indoor Metrodump the game of the year is no doubt in Green Bay. Out in the cold and on real grass, that’s how it is supposed to be and Lambeau Field is about as good as it gets. I’m glad the Vikes seem to get the second game of the Packers - Vikes match-up in Green Bay, the extra chill in the air makes it a little more fun.
Adrian Peterson has given us folks in Minnesota some hope again and the excitement for this Packers game has increased for me more than one might expect with the Vikes at 3 and 5. The first meeting between the teams this year dealt a 23 -16 win to the Packers and Brett Favre grabbed the career touchdown passing record with numbers 421 and 422. The stats were pretty close in this one but Favre and the Pack were better than the numbers show. Adrian Peterson had 112 yards on a measly 12 rushes, 1 reception for 6 yards, and no touchdowns. I don’t think Adrian will be held to only 12 rushes any more this year but I will be surprised if he get the 30 touches he had last week. My guess is that its closer to 25 rushes with a couple more passes.
I hate to say it but I think the Pack has the upper hand on this one and will win another close one. But if one thing is for sure the game will be close and if Adrian Peterson has his way he might show the fans in Green Bay what they have to look forward to for the next ten years. Maybe he can throw one of his Ardrian Peterson Jerseys into the stands on the way out and convert a young Packers fan to the Purple side.
Adrian Peterson has made the cover of Sports Illustrated two time in his football career, first in 2004 as a Freshman with Oklahoma and then 2007 with the NFL Draft Preview edition. I’m not sure if the kids even notice it now, but in my younger days making the cover of SI was a big deal. I still consider it quite an honor.
Adrian didn’t make the SI cover after his NFL rushing record 296 yards against the Chargers, the Patriots linebackers got that honor after their big win against the Colts. But Adrian did a mention in the SI Notebook column and I would guess he is high on their list if he continues his ways.
So the question is, when is the next time Adrian will get on the cover of Sports Illustrated? My guess is he gets it after the Packers game. DoanyofyouVikingbloggershaveanopinion?
When Will Adrian Peterson Get His Third Sports Illustrated Cover?
Later this season (57%, 4 Votes)
After the Packers game this weekend (43%, 3 Votes)
Sunday, November 4th in a game against the San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings Running Back Adrian Peterson Rushed for 296 yards and set the NFL mark for single game rushing yards. This game was built up for the big show down between the established elite runner LaDainian Tomlinson and the up and coming young runner Adrian Peterson. Adrian galloped away with this one. Time will tell if LT has indeed passed the torch on to AP.
Adrian Peterson was draft with the 7th pick of the first round in the 2007 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Adrian comes out of The University of Oklahoma with impressive stats and performances but questions about his collar bone and recent injuries was cause for some concern. Without the injury questions, he could have battled for the number one draft spot with Calvin Johnson.
Here’s a nice video of Adrian running through and by his opponents in his Sooner days.