NFL Rumors: Adrian Peterson Returning in December?
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson might return to action far sooner than expected, reportedly before the end of 2016.
When Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater went down in the preseason, it was a devastating blow. However, things seemingly became more dire for the Vikings in Week 2 when their star running back, Adrian Peterson, went down with a knee injury.
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Peterson had surgery in late September to repair a torn meniscus and was subsequently placed on injured reserve. With a normal recovery timetable of three-to-four months, it seemed like the running back’s 2016 season was over. Even optimistically, he’d be out until the final weeks of the season.
However, it now seems like there’s hope he can return a bit earlier than that. According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, the rumblings within the Vikings organization are that the superstar back will return sometime “in December.” Florio specifically says there’s no indication of if that means early or late in the month, but that still indicates a quicker recovery than expected.
Peterson will be eligible to return to the lineup Nov. 20, having met the eight week requirement when placed on injured reserve. According to the same reports the face of the Minnesota franchise has been progressing quickly and has been seen walking around the locker room without help or visible bracing.
The Vikings are currently staring down the barrel of their first loss of the season, hoping to rebound on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears.
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Minnesota’s offense, specifically their running game, has drastically underperformed this season. To be fair, it didn’t look any better with Peterson in the lineup. Running back depth is starting to take its toll on the Vikings, too. Jerick McKinnon will miss Monday night’s game with an injury. Matt Asiata will handle most of the bulk as Ronnie Hillman may spell him in certain situations.
As far as what December looks like for the Vikings, the month starts on Dec. 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. Minnesota’s remaining schedule at the end of the year has Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and Green Bay on the docket. Dallas would be an early return on a Thursday night. Thus, it’d make more sense to start eyeing a return after that matchup.
Peterson was averaging a career low in yards per carry of 1.6 before going down to injury. That may have been a result of not having played in the preseason, but Peterson has also been known to be somewhat of a slow starter. However, he certainly wasn’t helped much by an offensive line that was labeled “soft” by their head coach last Sunday.
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At his age and the position he plays, there is no telling what exactly we should expect from Peterson when he returns. But the name alone puts fear in opponents, in turn giving the Vikings offense better looks in open space. Minnesota would welcome that with open arms from the looks of what we’ve seen this season, this defense cannot feasibly do it all.