Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is only 1,989 yards short of his goal for the season, with 10 games left to play.
But while averaging nearly 200 a game isn’t likely, some degree of improvement is necessary after an anemic performance last night.
Peterson had just 28 yards on 13 carries last night against the Giants, and said the team as a whole has to get back to what was working last year.
“The one thing I’m going to stress is just being more physical as an offensive unit,’' Peterson said, via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “We were more physical last year. And that’s one thing that stands out this year.’'
While personal tragedy has been in the headlines (he skipped last Wednesday’s practice to attend the funeral of his 2-year-old son in South Dakota, Peterson said he “came in focused.”
“It was definitely tough sledding,’' Peterson said of the game. “We were just kind of out of whack. Those guys were bringing some stunts, doing a lot of movement up front. Nothing we haven’t seen before, but it kind of put us in an uncomfortable position and we struggled with that all night.’'
The pressing concern, as it applies to football, is the hamstring tightness that kept him out of practice last Friday. If he’s not well, the Vikings essentially have no shot, as the weekly quarterback change has taken away any possibility of cohesiveness in the passing game.