Peterson was hurt on Sunday night during the victory over Green Bay, needing assistance off the field after his knee was slightly twisted while being tackled at the end of a 5-yard run.
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ESPN’s Josina Anderson said Peterson told him he’ll have the surgery to fix his meniscus. Vikings coach Zimmer is skeptical that he will even return. Peterson told ESPN on Wednesday that his injury typically requires a minimum recovery time of three to four months.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer acknowledged on Wednesday that Peterson’s injury could be season-ending.
The long-range view for the Minnesota offense is not clear. The Vikings also announced Wednesday they were placing left tackle Matt Kalil on the injured reserve list due to a hip injury. Last season, Jackson had four touchdowns and 528 yards receiving despite missing six games with a hamstring injury.
Jerick McKinnon is set to take Peterson’s place as the featured running back, with Matt Asiata also getting some carries.
The Vikings (2-0) signed running back Ronnie Hillman, who was on Denver’s Super Bowl-winning team last season.
Peterson, the 2015 National Football League rushing leader, limped from the field with the help of the Vikings’ support staff.
“I have no idea … we’ll find out during surgery”, Zimmer said.
“It depends on how bad the meniscus is, ” Zimmer said.
While Adrian Peterson can possibly return this December (at the earliest) there are some things along the way that deserve some focus. He has what he said is a “bucket handle tear”.
If Peterson, 31, has a fix, rather than a trim, Ochiai said he likely would be out three to four months.
“When you fix a meniscus, you’re looking at six weeks of very limited rehab while you’re waiting for it to heal”, Dr. Mark Adickes, chief of sports medicine at Baylor College and medical expert for ESPN & DirecTV’s Fantasy Zone, told International Business Times.
Minnesota ranks dead-last in rushing (1.9 yards per carry), after finishing No. 4 last season. The Vikings must make a call on his contract about two months after that.
Mike Zimmer doesn’t appear to be pleased, referring to the ailing defender as “out of sight, out of mind” today. “They’re both good receivers”, offensive coordinator Norv Turner said. I think if you go back previous year and look at the things that happened, you know we’re not the type of team that’s going to sit back and cry about what’s happening. “But this is a team game”. This is not the first time the veteran running back has battled knee injury. It just seems like his ability to make something out of nothing, along with his ability to overcome eight and nine men in the box, seems to have been greatly diminished.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak on behalf of Peterson, who first revealed he’d have the fix – not a trim that could’ve gotten him back on the field within weeks – in an interview with ESPN on Wednesday morning.
“It’s the NFL, ” Boone said.
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If you were asking “Can Sam Bradford lead the Vikings to the playoffs?” just a couple of weeks ago, you were likely experiencing a weird fever dream. As much as you hate to see guys like Teddy and Adrian go down, you have to get ready to play.
