In 12 career games against the Detroit Lions, Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson averaged almost 105 rushing yards and scored 12 total touchdowns. The two will look for better performances as the Minnesota Vikings host the Detroit Lions on Sunday in a battle of NFC North rivals.A promising finish to his rookie season only heightened expectations for Bridgewater, who was sacked five times in a 20-3 setback to San Francisco on Monday. If you’ve been reading my column for a while, you know I’ve said all along this team will only go as far as the offensive line will take it, and the first game has given me lots of reason to worry. “I think they understood the message we were trying to convey to them, and because of the urgency of a division game, back at home, a short week, I think all those things added to it”.
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Peterson missed the majority of the 2014 season after he was suspended from action by the NFL. “He’s got some explosiveness to the hole and has some physicality to him”, Zimmer said.
Peterson said he’s now concentrating on Detroit, Minnesota’s foe in Sunday’s home opener at TCF Bank Stadium.
Peterson will face the Lions for the first time since anchor Ndamukong Suh and fellow tackle Nick Fairley left Detroit in free agency this spring. “If they can’t control the ball and control the clock (with Peterson), they’re not going to win many games”.
Nothing seems wrong with his motivation and understanding of how bad he was.
“I wasn’t surprised at all and that’s what I love, tough coaching”, Bridgewater said.
With those first-game feelings both physical (neck soreness from hard hits) and mental (running plays and blitz pickups at full speed) are out of the way, Peterson ought to be able to better settle in this weekend. “I’m ready to go”. Righting the ship, so to speak, has never felt more important for a boatload of players and coaches who were expected to set sail one way only to go the opposite direction immediately. I still voice my opinion, even to him as well.
“Adrian is going to make plays; everybody knows that”, said backup running back Jerick McKinnon.
The Minnesota Vikings lost to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 20-3, and there wasn’t a whole lot to be encouraged by if you’re a Vikings fan.
Besides Peterson, the rest of the offense was unable to get anything going.
-LB DeAndre Levy missed practice Wednesday with a hip injury and his status for Sunday is unknown.
In Monday’s loss to the 49ers, Peterson had just 10 carries for 31 yards, so he wasn’t sweating the fact that four of those carries and 7 of those yards were from the shotgun, which is something new to him.
-RG Larry Warford was limited Wednesday, but practiced for the first time this month and could play Sunday. The Eagan native and former standout South Dakota State running back grew up a Vikings fan and now will get a chance to play on the same field against them.
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-Lions WR Calvin Johnson, who had just two catches for 39 yards in Week 1, vs. Vikings CB Xavier Rhodes, who has had success covering Johnson in the past.
