As someone who is no stranger to injuries, Adrian Peterson has missed a number of games throughout his career. He will be forced to sit out during the final game of the season when the Minnesota Vikings play the Detroit Lions.
Unfortunately, neither team has anything to play for in the week 17 finale showdown in the NFC North. The Detroit Lions are now 7-8 after starting the season on top of the division and a record of 6-3 earlier in the year, while the Vikings have a record of 4-10-1, and have remained at the bottom of the standings throughout the season.
Adrian Peterson has been one of the top running backs in the league in the past few years, despite his multiple injuries, and has been named MVP.
However, with a star running back and not much else to work with on the offensive end for the Vikings, they have struggled to win during the 2013 season.
Peterson is being troubled in multiple places, which will force him to sit out, including a strained groin that he suffered last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, and a foot injury that he suffered earlier this month.
Vikings Coach Leslie Frazier has said that if the coaching staff felt like he was ready, then he would be out there, but he is not in the right shape to be playing. Just two weeks ago, he played in a game against the Eagles, finishing with an odd stat line, rushing 30 different times for only 51 yards, and scoring 3 touchdowns.
Vikings Inactives: QB J. Freeman, T M. Remmers, DT L. Guion, WR R. Smith, RB A. Peterson, CB X. Rhodes, RB T. Gerhart
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 29, 2013
Adrian Peterson seemed to start the season off on a high note, with an impressive performance against the Detroit Lions earlier in the season, despite the loss.
He had also stated that he had a goal of hitting the mark of 2,500 yards on the season, a mark that he did not even come close to. The awful record for the Minnesota Vikings, as one of the worst teams in the league, is yet another disappointment in Peterson’s season.
Vikings RB Adrian Peterson downgraded to out for Sunday's game vs. Lions.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 28, 2013
He has continually battled multiple injuries during the season, which has limited his production on the field. In the 2013 season, he has rushed for 1,266 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 279 carries.
While this may seem like a lot for some running backs in the league, it is actually his second-lowest yardage total of Peterson’s career, behind only his injury-plagued 2011 campaign. Hoewever, he was still voted to the Pro Bowl somehow.
PHOTOS: Adrian Peterson is heading to the 6th Pro Bowl of his career. http://t.co/H9rGNdZqzK pic.twitter.com/gl5mVqvqCP
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 29, 2013
In addtion to Adrian Peterson, their star running back, Toby Gerhart will also be sidelined during their final game of the season. As a result, fans will see Matt Asiata take the field on Sunday against the Lions, in a game that neither team is looking forward to.
No Adrian Peterson and No Calvin Johnson. There will be no scoring in this game
— Adrian Anderson (@andersonn110) December 29, 2013
Image via Wikimedia Commons
