Adrian Peterson’s season is over.
The Vikings announced today that Peterson will sit out Sunday’s season finale against the Lions. He had previously been listed as doubtful with a groin injury.
The game is meaningless (both Minnesota and Detroit are eliminated from playoff contention), but the decision means Peterson will finish the season with 1,266 rushing yards -- a respectable total, but a far cry from the 2,097 yards Peterson gained last year, let alone the 2,500 yards Peterson said he was shooting for.
Eagles running back LeSean McCoy will almost certainly take the NFL rushing crown from Peterson. McCoy has 1,476 yards this season, far ahead of No. 2 Jamaal Charles, who likely won’t play much on Sunday because this week’s game is meaningless to the Chiefs. Peterson will probably fall out of the Top 5 and maybe even out of the Top 10, showing just how tough it is to repeat as rushing champ in today’s NFL.