The Vikings won’t put running back Adrian Peterson on the field in their final preseason game, which means they’ll need to take matters into their own hands if they want to see how he absorbs contact before the start of the regular season.
That’s just what they did on Monday. Defenders were allowed to hit Peterson for the first time since his surgically repaired knee was healed enough to allow him to start practicing. Hitting above the waist without taking Peterson to the ground was the order of the day and the order was followed to coach Leslie Frazier’s satisfaction.
“There were times there was nowhere to go and he had to run into people, and he responded well,” Frazier said, via Jeremy Fowler of the Pioneer Press. “That was good to see. There were some good, hard hits. Nothing to the ground, just guys thudding him.”
The Vikings will now find out how Peterson feels a day after his reintroduction to getting hit. If there’s no negative response from Peterson’s body, it will be another big step toward a full return come the start of the regular season.