For most teams, second-and-13 is a passing down. For the Vikings, second-and-13 is a perfect time to hand off to Adrian Peterson.
That was the down and distance the Vikings faced on their second drive when they called a handoff to Peterson, who went up the middle, found a small hole, then cut to his left, burst upfield and raced to the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown that gave the Vikings a 7-3 lead.
Peterson is still the NFL’s best running back, but unfortunately for the Vikings they may have the NFL’s worst quarterback situation right now. Whether it’s Christian Ponder, Josh Freeman or Matt Cassel, the Vikings don’t have a good quarterback on the roster. Ponder killed the Vikings’ first drive with a terrible interception.
Now the question is whether Peterson can do enough for the Vikings to overcome that problem at quarterback.