Adrian Peterson, Toby Gerhart listed questionable
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) looks on during overtime against the Chicago Bears at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the Bears 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Vikings No. 1 and 2 running backs Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart were always expected to be listed questionable for this week’s matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Vikings have indeed listed both players questionable. Both players practiced today, but they reportedly had a light workload on the final day of this week’s practice.
Peterson suffered a foot injury, and his status for this week’s game is a total toss-up. While conventional wisdom states that the way-out-of-it Viking will give their star player a much-needed week off and not risk anything (I mean, look at what the wise Green Bay Packers are doing with Aaron Rodgers’s injury, and that’s a much tougher situation to be cautious in), Peterson is incredibly determined to get on the field and always recovers quickly. But, going back to the Packers, Rodgers also wants to play badly, but the Packers aren’t clearing him to get back on the field.
So shouldn’t the Vikings do the same? It’s an interesting question, and we’ll see what happens. I’m not willing to make any predictions regarding Peterson’s status, especially since he looks like a full-blown, game-time decision.
Meanwhile, Peterson’s solid backup Toby Gerhart is also listed questionable, and he missed practice sessions on Wednesday and Thursday. Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier stated earlier this week that Gerhart has a better chance of playing, so that’s something to keep in mind. My gut feeling is that only one of those two will play, and I’m not sure who that RB will be, because Gerhart’s hamstring injury could be significant.