Can Adrian Peterson rescue the Detroit Lions running game?

The Detroit Lions running game has been a weakness for quite some time.

Oh, the irony. Imagine one of the great running backs of this generation and a former division rival inking a deal with a club and then being in position to pass one of the franchise’s legendary players on the NFL’s all-time rushing list?

Yes, Adrian Peterson is now a member of the Detroit Lions. Only four players in league annals — Emmitt Smith (18,355), Walter Payton (16,726), current Jets’ running back Frank Gore (15,347) and Lions’ immortal Barry Sanders (15,269) — have totaled more yards on the ground than “AP,” who has rolled up an impressive 14,216 rushing yards with four different teams, the vast majority of that with the Minnesota Vikings. Do the math and he needs to run for 1,053 yards to tie Sanders for fourth on the all-time list.

“That’s definitely one of the goals,” said the 13-year veteran back in May on NFL Network (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “Passing Barry Sanders would definitely be one of the highlights of my career. What he accomplished, and how I’ve looked up to him, I’ve always wanted to say I did something better than Barry Sanders.”

Now that’s all well and good. But there’s a much bigger issue here and that’s whether this team can rediscover a consistent running game, something that has been an issue the past six seasons.

Will Adrian Peterson breathe life into the Detroit Lions backfield?

In 2013, Reggie Bush led the club with 1,006 yards rushing. That season, the Lions finished a respectable 17th in the league when it came to yards on the ground. But it’s been pretty dismal ever since, although there’s been a least a slight glimmer of hope the last two seasons,

Including playoff losses in 2014 and 2016, this club has been limited to fewer than 100 yards rushing in 69-of-98 games contests the past six seasons. The Lions’ rushing rankings over that span are 28th, 32nd, 30th, 32nd, 23rd and 21st, respectively.

In 2018, general manager Bob Quinn used a second-round pick on Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson. He’s certainly shown some flashes but staying healthy has been an issue. In April, Detroit went running back in the second round again via Georgia standout D’Andre Swift.

And now’s there’s Peterson. He spent the last two seasons with Washington and in 31 games and starts, he ran for a combined 1,940 yards and 12 scores. And it’s safe to say that Johnson has welcomed the addition.

"“I knew D’Andre was a good back,” said the two-year pro earlier this week (via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News). “I knew I needed help. I knew we wanted to get the most amount of good people (possible) on our team. It means the other team doesn’t have them. So if you come to me and (say) to me, ‘Hey, we’re going to sign Adrian Peterson’, like, of course, hell yeah. Sign him. Yeah, bring him on board. This man has won games by himself, he continues to win games by himself, he can help us win games and that’s all I want to do.”"

Winning games is something the Detroit Lions haven’t done much as of late. Matt Patricia’s club brings a nine-game losing streak into Sunday’s clash with the Chicago Bears. There has been no playoff victory since 1991 and no division title since 1993. And in the last few years, there’s been little offensive balance and that has made life more difficult for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and the team’s defense as well.

But the ageless Peterson has proven that he still has plenty in the tank. And he, Johnson and Swift could finally cure what has ailed the club for far too long.