The Vikings and Rams square off this Sunday in a game that will feature the NFL’s top running back of the last decade and the most intriguing young running back in the league.
Those two players would be Adrian Peterson and Todd Gurley, of course, and Gurley is eliciting compliments from the Vikings ahead of the game. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer praised the rookie’s “acceleration and vision,” sentiments echoed by defensive end Everson Griffen on Monday.
Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn went a little more specific when he drew a line from Peterson to Gurley.
“This guy, Todd Gurley, he’s special,” Munnerlyn said, via the Pioneer Press. “He’s Adrian Peterson all over again. ... People don’t realize how big he is. ... He can hit you with the home-run speed. He’s a young Adrian Peterson, but I like our Adrian Peterson better.”
The Vikings defense ranks right in the middle of the league against the run this season and they should have their hands full with a player reeling off more than six yards a carry so far this season. If Gurley keeps that up for the whole season, he’ll be the first back since Peterson to do it and the comparisons between the two players will only become more frequent.