Adrian Peterson’s return didn’t save the Vikings, it derailed them

Adrian Peterson didn’t want to rejoin the Vikings this season if they were eliminated from the playoff race. He wanted to make his return from a Week 2 knee injury meaningful, to show he could still contribute to a team that began the season with Super Bowl aspirations.

Which makes Sunday’s blowout loss to the Colts at home all the more confounding. Instead of gaining ground on the NFC North-leading Lions, Minnesota is now all but assured to miss the playoffs after getting bounced in the Wild Card game last year. And the setback took place with Peterson starting in the backfield.

His final line: Six carries for 22 yards with one catch for 1 yard. On the one rush where Peterson made it past four yards, he made it just 13 yards before losing a fumble in the red zone. The Colts converted that turnover into a touchdown to take a commanding 24-0 lead in the second quarter.

This was a disaster.

The 34-6 defeat marked the fewest points the Vikings have scored all year. Minnesota had been averaging nearly 20 points per game this season without Peterson in the lineup. To say nothing of the fact that AP’s return coincided with a matchup against one of the NFL’s worst defenses all season.

It had many worrying postgame if Peterson would be able to find his rhythm in the current offense.

“I don’t think it’s challenging,” Peterson told the Star Tribune after the game. “It’s about every guy doing their job and being productive when those opportunities come in the run game. I feel like there were some things I could have done better. I’m sure the offensive line feels the same. And passing the ball as well.”

But it certainly can’t help that the Vikings used three of their running backs on Sunday. And Minnesota was forced to abandon the run altogether once the Colts started piling on.

Pro Football Focus gave Peterson a 47.7 grade — “poor” by the site’s standards and unfathomable for a player of AP’s stature.

A day touted as a triumphant return for the best running back in franchise history, who would surely give Minnesota the boost it needs to get to the playoffs, instead led to this:

After the game, Peterson told reporters he plans on playing next week when the Vikings visit Green Bay, but was noncommittal beyond that.

The 31-year-old back may not be finished after this season, but as his on-field woes — not to mention injury concerns — continue (AP has just 72 yards on 37 rushing attempts this season) it’s only getting tougher to imagine what comes next for a once-in-a-generation runner.