With yesterday's news that the Minnesota Vikings have designated running back Adrian Peterson as their player to return from injured reserve it's easy to reminisce the events the unfolded over the final games of the 2012 NFL season. A knee injury in Week 2 sidelined Peterson this season. He had surgery to repair a torn meniscus and has been working for this return ever since. A 1-6 slide after a 5-0 start has put the Vikings in the difficult position of having to close this season with nothing but wins. If they want to be a part of the playoff fun they can't lose another game. The Vikings pulled a similar stunt in 2012. They opened that season 4-1 and followed that nice start with a 2-5 slide. A Peterson knee injury impacted that season as well. A serious knee injury at the end of the 2011 season threatened his continued effectiveness as an NFL running back. Some considered his return a miracle. The rest simply found him to be a medical marvel. Over the final month of the 2012 NFL season Adrian Peterson put the Minnesota Vikings on his back and carried them to the playoffs.
December 2, at Green Bay (23-14 loss)
21 carries, 210 yards, 1 TD-an 82-yard touchdown
December 9, vs Chicago (21-14 win)
31 carries, 154 yards, 2 TDs
December 16, at St. Louis (36-22 win)
24 carries, 212 yards, 1 TD-another 82-yard jaunt
December 23, at Houston (23-6)
25 carries, 86 yards
12/30, Green Bay (37-34 win)
34 carries, 199 yards, 1 TD-added a second touchdown on a short pass reception
Five game rushing total:
135 carries, 861 yards, 5 TDs
Peterson's five-game performance carried the Vikings to four consecutive wins, a 10-6 record, the playoffs, 2097 rushing yards and the 2012 NFL MVP trophy. If the Vikings hadn't been so careful with Peterson and his repaired knee early in the season he'd probably have shattered Eric Dickerson's season rushing record of 2,105 yards. Or, maybe he was able to make that late season run because they limited his carries early. Who knows?
Peterson's December 2012 rampage was simply incredible. He'd had so many fantastic moments in his first five seasons in the league that it was stunning to see him take his game to a whole other level. And the Vikings needed him to do it. Every one of those December games was a playoff game. The only sustained offensive performance that comes to mind that compares was Larry Fitzgerald's run through the 2008 NFL playoffs. Both were great, fun football.
At most, Adrian Peterson will play in only the final two games this season so a repeat of those 2012 numbers is remote. He's also four years older. A quarter of that 861 total in the final two games would be beautiful. No Vikings back has gained 100 yards in a game this year. As a team, the Vikings have rarely approached that number. To say that the Vikings haven't run the ball well this season would be an exaggeration. They've been terrible at running the ball so Peterson's return will be a significant boost. If for no reason but the attention that each defense has to pay to him. The hope is that he can help carry the team to the wins that they need to make the playoffs this season. He doesn't have to do it all this time.
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