Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has passed every test the team has put in front of him, including a return to contact, but coach Leslie Frazier isn’t ready to say that Peterson will be on the field for Week One against the Jaguars just yet.
After the Vikings wrapped up the preseason against the Texans on Thursday night, Frazier was asked about Peterson’s status for the season opener. Frazier indicated that the decision wouldn’t be made until just before the start of the contest.
“We’ve got a lot of things we want to get done with him this week, and I doubt that we would know without getting him through an entire week, if we thought he was ready to play a game,” Frazier said, via ESPN.com.
Peterson’s recovery from the torn ACL and MCL he suffered on Christmas Eve has been very fast, although not fast enough for the Vikes to feel comfortable about playing him in any of the team’s preseason games. He’s gotten hit in practice, though, and the lack of preseason playing time isn’t likely to be the determining factor in his status for the start of the season.
Peterson has maintained a goal of playing in Week One since he got injured. We’re getting close to finding out if he’ll reach it.