Officially, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Bengals. But all indications are that he’s good to go.
Peterson himself told reporters today that he expects to play on Sunday, and coach Leslie Frazier said he thinks Peterson is good to go as well. For all the fears about a serious injury when Peterson was carted off the field two weeks ago against the Ravens, he’s going to end up missing just one game.
That’s good news for the Vikings, who have been playing their best football recently despite being long since eliminated from playoff contention. In the last three weeks the Vikings have beaten two teams that are currently leading their divisions (the Bears and Eagles) and nearly beaten the defending champion Ravens, who are themselves fighting for their playoff lives. Now the Vikings will have their best player back as they try to play spoiler to the Bengals this week and the Lions next week.
Peterson, meanwhile, will attempt to catch Eagles running back LeSean McCoy for the NFL rushing lead. McCoy currently leads Peterson by 122 yards. If Peterson can catch McCoy, he’ll become the first player since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006 and 2007 to lead the league in rushing two years in a row.