The Vikes have yet to rule out Peterson for their Week 3 game against the Carolina Panthers.
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“We just didn’t really have anything going for us”, veteran guard T.J. Lang said. “I’m not saying it’s the fans’ fault, but it would be nice if they would just shut up”.
“Everybody on offense, we all have to pick our game up”, tight end Kyle Rudolph said. “You never want to see guys go down like that”.
Another factor in the sense of calm is Peterson’s quiet start. Hill, Bradford’s teammate with the St. Louis Rams in 2014, played a role in working with the quarterback who would end up replacing him as the starter.
He became only the third man over 30 to top the standings after rushing for 1,485 yards over 16 games, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. We just have to put it behind us and move forward. He tossed a 25-yard TD pass to Diggs with 2:11 remaining in the third quarter to extend the lead to 17-7. Bradford marched the Vikings to a game-tying touchdown while showing both a willingness to trust his receivers and a deep-ball accuracy, both of which Teddy Bridgewater lacked a season ago.
Hill completed 18 of 33 passes for 236 yards in his start but didn’t lead the Vikings to an offensive touchdown.
Questions have abounded – a lot of them critical – after the Packers’ 17-14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He left the field immediately, and needed help getting back to the locker room. He missed all but one game after he reached a plea deal on a child-abuse charge and was suspended by the NFL. After winning his National Football League head coaching debut 34-6 at St. Louis in 2014, Zimmer was hit five days later with the news that Peterson had been indicted on child abuse charges.
At this point it is not known whether Peterson will get the surgery, but from the sounds of it, the Vikings are expecting him to return well before that six-week timeframe. He had 62 yards rushing on 10 carries in a 35-10 Carolina win. Asiata is the team’s best pass-blocking back, while McKinnon is the best pass-catching back. “He’s got some things we’re looking at there”, said McCarthy, who added there’s no initial concern about Matthews’ status.
Peterson did not return to the game and was later spotted on crutches. That crowd may have been a little too awesome according to Vikings offensive linemen Alex Boone, who didn’t appreciate how loud the fans were when they were on offense.
“He took hits he shouldn’t have taken”, left guard Alex Boone said.
“You see hope in some plays, and in others, we just shoot ourselves in the foot and give up a sack or do something stupid”, Boone said.
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“These guys have had my back from day one”, Bradford said.
