Adrian Peterson’s comeback has him back atop the NFL in rushing.
After a quarter of the season, Peterson has run for 372 yards and three touchdowns. He is averaging 5.0 yards per carry and has helped return the Vikings to NFL relevancy.
But did you know his return is almost at historic levels. ESPN’s Ben Goessling outlined five things we should know about AP’s season.
- He’s on pace for a top-10 year for a 30-year-old running back, and would be the first 30-something rushing champ in 11 years.
- He’s getting most of his carries the old-fashioned way – and it’s working
- He’s still breaking big runs
- He’s still struggling in pass protection
- He’s on pace for a pay cut
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Through four games, Peterson is on pace to run for 1,488 yards. If he wins the NFL rushing title this season, he’d become the first 30-something running back to accomplish that since Curtis Martin in 2004.
While AP brings a big time ground threat back, it’s left Minnesota still searching for their identity offensively.
According to 1500 ESPN, in Minnesota’s two victories Peterson ran the ball 49 times for 260 yards. While in Weeks 1 and 4 – both road losses for the Vikings – Peterson has played a much lesser role taking just 26 handoffs, including 16 Sunday in Denver.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman told reporters Tuesday that more than a year without Peterson has left coaches trying to figure things out.
“I think because we didn’t have [Peterson] last year, I think that’s part of the process coaches and players are going through – is ‘OK, what do we do well?'” Spielman said.
