MVP Profile: Adrian Peterson, 2012

Running Back, Minnesota Vikings

Age: 27

6^th season in pro football & with Vikings

College: Oklahoma

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 217

Prelude:

Taken by the Vikings in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft, Peterson made an immediate impact as he rushed for 1341 yards as a rookie, including a single-game record 296 yards against San Diego. If there was any downside, it came in the knee injury that caused him to miss two games, his lesser numbers as defenses stacked the line to stop him when he returned, and his mediocre pass blocking. Still, with his speed complemented by power, he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and was selected to the Pro Bowl. Peterson followed up by leading the NFL in rushing (1760 yards) and yards from scrimmage (1885) in 2009 and received the Bert Bell Award as well as consensus first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl honors. In 2009, he compiled 1383 rushing yards and a league-leading 18 TDs while also catching a career-high 43 passes as the Vikings went 12-4 and advanced to the NFC Championship game. While a tendency to fumble was still a concern (he lost the ball 9 times in 2008 and 7 in ’09), Peterson was again a consensus first-team All-Pro and was named to the Pro Bowl. Turmoil touched the team in 2010, which dropped to 6-10, but Peterson was a bulwark who ran for 1298 yards, scored 13 TDs, fumbled only once, and was selected to a fourth straight Pro Bowl. However, it appeared that his career was in jeopardy when he went down with a torn ACL twelve games into the 2011 season that required surgery.

2012 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 348 [2]

Most attempts, game - 34 (for 199 yds.) vs. Green Bay 12/30

Yards – 2097 [1]

Most yards, game – 212 yards (on 24 carries) at St. Louis 12/16

Average gain – 6.0 [2]

TDs – 12 [3, tied with Stevan Ridley]

200-yard rushing games – 2

100-yard rushing games - 10

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 40      

Most receptions, game – 7 (for 50 yds.) at Washington 10/14

Yards – 217

Most yards, game - 50 (on 7 catches) at Washington 10/14

Average gain – 5.4

TDs – 1

All-Purpose Yards – 2314 [2]

Scoring

TDs – 13 [3, tied with Eric Decker & Alfred Morris]

2-pt PAT – 1

Points – 80

Postseason: 1 G (NFC Wild Card playoff at Green Bay)

Rushing attempts – 22

Rushing yards – 99

Average gain rushing – 4.5

Rushing TDs – 0

Pass receptions – 1

Receiving yards – 8

Average gain receiving – 8.0

Receiving TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

NFL MVP: AP, PFWA, Sports Illustrated, Bert Bell Award

NFL Offensive Player of the Year: AP, Sporting News

1^st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Pro Football Focus

Pro Bowl

Vikings went 10-6 to finish second in the NFC North and qualify for a Wild Card playoff spot while ranking second in the NFL in rushing (2634 yards). Lost NFC Wild Card playoff to Green Bay Packers (24-10).

Aftermath:

Following up his remarkable comeback in 2012 that nearly resulted in a new NFL rushing record, Peterson ran for 1266 yards in 14 games in ‘13 and had 1437 yards from scrimmage. Through the 2013 season he had rushed for 10,115 yards on 2033 carries (5.0 avg.) and caught 206 passes for 1697 yards, totaling 91 touchdowns. He has been a consensus first-team All-NFL selection on three occasions, received at least some first- or second-team recognition after three other seasons, and has been named to the Pro Bowl six times in seven years.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).