Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson came up 9 yards short of the best single-season rushing total in NFL history on Sunday. But his 199-yard effort on a career-high 34 carries in Minnesota's wild 37-34 home victory over the Green Bay Packers came with a much sweeter record?his team's 10-6 mark that ensured the NFC's wild-card No. 6 seed.
Peterson's 26-yard run with 24 seconds left put the Vikings in position for Blair Walsh's game-winning 29-yard field goal. Although there were still 11 more yards between the Vikings and the goal?more than enough to pass Eric Dickerson's total of 2,105?Peterson's remarkable season still had a storybook ending.
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Consider where Peterson was a year ago. On Christmas Eve 2011, against the Washington Redskins, he tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee, a grisly injury that would put the career of mere mortal backs in jeopardy. Two days later, he was put on injured reserve, the unofficial start of a long rehabilitation process that included recovery from reconstructive surgery he underwent last Dec. 30.
It's appropriate that Peterson became the seventh running back in NFL history to join the 2,000-yard rushing club (2,097 to be exact) exactly one year later. It's a testament to the relentless work ethic that got him back on the field and kept him at full strength all season long. It's just another reason why he's a special modern athlete who evokes the memories of legends past, including Jim Brown and Walter Payton.
Peterson accomplished what Brown and the late Payton never did during their illustrious time on the gridiron. Although Peterson didn't quite catch Dickerson, he trumped the best years of Barry Sanders and O.J. Simpson.
In an era where many teams have gone to backfields-by-committee and 20 touches are now considered big workloads, Peterson's hard-charging, reckless-abandon style is a refreshing respite. Even though the Packers?against whom he had rushed for 210 yards three weeks ago?knew he was going to get the ball often, they still had limited answers.
The Packers were so geared toward stopping him, it set up some of the easiest throws for Christian Ponder on a day the second-year quarterback needed to make them. One came on a 2-yard touchdown strike in the third quarter to Peterson, who also scored on a 7-yard run in the first quarter that set the tone early in a must-win game.
The reward for Peterson leading a great team effort is a third matchup with the Packers, this time in Lambeau Field. Just like Sunday and back in Week 13 in Green Bay, the Vikings won't be shy about riding Peterson again. The Packers will go back to the drawing board looking for ways to stop what's coming.
Ever since Peterson made a splash as a dynamic rookie in a Vikings timeshare with Chester Taylor in 2007, it's been fun to watch Peterson run with no regard for his safety, or that of those trying to stop him. Whether it's been defenders or damaged ligaments, it's a joy to know that there's no obstacle he hasn't been able to hurdle.
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Peterson has made a very strong case for MVP, and at worst should take home the awards for both Offensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year.
But even Peterson's near-record season may not be enough to stop the MVP momentum of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Thanks to the Houston Texans' loss at Indianapolis earlier in the day, Manning and Denver clinched the top seed and home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs with a 38-3 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs. That also opened the door for Tom Brady and New England to take the No. 2 seed and the second bye after beating the Miami Dolphins, 28-0.
What that means is the Broncos (13-3) and Patriots (12-4) are on a collision course for the AFC championship, rather than a divisional-round meeting. The Broncos' victory over the Chiefs was their 11th in a row overall. Their last loss came at New England, 31-21, on Oct. 7 in Week 5. Since then, the Broncos have improved every week, with Manning getting into a groove with all his receivers and the defense developing into a dominant unit. The Patriots have made more offensive mistakes than usual of late, and know now the rematch would be in Denver and not Foxborough.
John Elway and the Broncos brought in Manning with one goal in mind: the Super Bowl. It only makes sense that they'll likely need to go through Brady to attain it. In Denver, Manning has a more complete team around him than many of his Colts teams in Indianapolis. The Broncos are the deserved heavy favorite to win the AFC.
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