"Yeah, I think I'm back." – @AdrianPeterson
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— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 28, 2015
Adrian Peterson might be 30 years old but he sure isn’t running like it.
While most running backs run into a wall at 30, Peterson seems to be finding his stride – the same stride that put fear in the minds of defensive players trying to tackle him over the first eight years of his career.
On Sunday, Peterson racked up 126 yards and two touchdowns. His 43-yard score was a dash from the past as he stiff-armed a Charger to the ground and bounced off Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle with ease before high-stepping into the end zone.
“My mind was in a great place, and yeah, I think I’m back,” Peterson said after the game, via Vikings.com.
The Pioneer Press reports that Peterson wasn’t happy with his play through the first two weeks so he used Tuesday, a normal day off for the players, to run 18 100-yard sprints in an effort to get in the best shape possible.
With 291 yards through three games – 260 in the past two weeks – Peterson leads the NFL in rushing entering Monday night’s game between the Packers and Chiefs. Kansas City’s Jamaal Charles needs 110 yards to leap Peterson for the league lead.
Here’s how Peter King summed up his thoughts on Peterson in his Week 3 edition of Monday Morning Quarterback.
“Adrian Peterson: 20 carries for 126 yards, two touchdowns. Running at 30 the way he ran at 23. Keep calling his name, Norv Turner.”
King added:
“That’s the way Minnesota wants to play: 31 rushes, 24 passes. Not that Turner doesn’t trust Teddy Bridgewater; he does. But he wants Adrian Peterson to carry this offense, and Sunday, in the convincing 17-point win over San Diego, that’s what Turner called, and Peterson delivered.”
The Vikings and Peterson will be tested in Week 4 in the high altitude of Denver against the 2-1 Broncos. Denver’s rushing defense is ranked seventh in the NFL.
