Marshawn Lynch hasn’t played in nearly two months, and had 417 yards this season.
But Adrian Peterson said he thinks Lynch is still one of the top two backs in the league, with himself of course occupying the other spot.
“I remember coming out [of college] with him. We trained together in Arizona, and I knew he was going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Peterson said, via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. “He’s ‘Beast Mode’ for a reason: He’s a physical runner. He plays fast. His lateral movement, cuts, his vision is top of the line. Even though he didn’t play much this year, I would say he’s probably the second-best back in the league. I’d give it to him, hands-down.”
“I’m a guy with a little more speed. I don’t think he’s got the same jump-cut as me. But his lateral movement, his ability to get through guys is amazing.”
Peterson’s humility aside, both are also dealing with the effects of being older backs in the league. The Vikings running back missed practice again Thursday with a lower back injury but declared himself “ready to roll " for Sunday, while his Seahawks counterpart is coming off sports hernia surgery and has missed the last seven weeks.