Running Back,
Minnesota
Age: 27
6th
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
1st
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.
--
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).
