What milestones is Adrian Peterson approaching for the 2020 NFL season?
Tailback Adrian Peterson kickstarted the first seven years of his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings at a breakneck velocity. As of 2013, Peterson was on pace to threaten all of rushing king Emmitt Smith‘s all-time records. But Peterson has been derailed by personal shenanigans and, more recently, age.
Nevertheless, Peterson has steadily climbed the NFL leader books in every rushing category tenable to mankind. Following his Minnesota exodus in 2017, he has landed with bottom-feeding teams that have allowed him to accrue three straight 500+ rushing yard seasons.
Specifically, in the last two years with the Washington Football Team, Peterson has topped 850 rushing yards in successive years. Now he’s entering the 2020 season with the chance to touch some pretty impressive career marks.
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What specific metrics is Adrian Peterson climbing the ranks in?
First (and probably the most important) among Peterson’s career milestones is rushing yards. Peterson trails iconic tailback Barry Sanders by 1,053 yards. If Peterson surpassed this mark, he would occupy the fourth spot on the all-time list. In 2018, Peterson busted off 1,042 yards on the ground, so it is not preposterous to surmise he could do it again if the Football Team showcases him in 2020.
As for rushing touchdowns, Peterson already owns the fourth all-time spot. He’s currently staring upward at longtime Raider, Marcus Allen. Peterson has notched 111 rushing touchdowns to Allen’s 123. Again, with ample carries, Allen could be dethroned in a year or two from his ranking.
Peterson is also nearing the top 10 ranks of yards-from-scrimmage. He’s habitually a downhill runner, so his receiving numbers disqualify him from catching the Marshall Faulks of the world. But he does need just 849 yards-from-scrimmage to eclipse former Jets tailback Curtis Martin. In doing so, Peterson would jockey Larry Fitzgerald, who is obviously still playing in Arizona.
And for the naughty stuff: If Adrian Peterson coughs up his “usual” three fumbles in 2020, he will enter the “top” 30 of most fumbles by a running back in NFL history. Presently, he has 48 career fumbles and three more would slide him past Thurman Thomas, who has 50 career fumbles.
In June, the 35-year-old Peterson reiterated his desire to play another four seasons. It’s a lofty goal — most tailbacks are long-retired by their mid-30s — but his buoyant ambitions would surely allow him to climb the history books further.
One more fun fact: Adrian Peterson has more career rushing yards than his Minnesota Vikings franchise brethren Robert Smith and Chuck Foreman combined. Oofta.