Adrian Peterson led the league with 2,097 rushing yards last season. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)
(Update: The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted that “Early word on the injury to #Vikings RB Adrian Peterson: It’s a mid-foot sprain.)
The worst-case scenario for the Minnesota Vikings’ disappointing 2013 season may have occurred Sunday. Running back Adrian Peterson had to be carted to the locker room after suffering an injury on a tackle by Baltimore linebacker Arthur Brown.
After catching a pass out of the backfield, Peterson turned upfield near the sideline and was wrapped up by Brown. Peterson immediately began writhing in pain on the ground, while the training staff began examining his right ankle.
The Vikings’ superstar eventually made his way back to the sideline and began walking around gingerly, but then was loaded onto a cart and taken from the field.
Minnesota announced that Peterson will not return, and reports indicate that he’s receiving an MRI.
Fox is reporting that Adrian Peterson isn't at the stadium anymore, instead sent to an MRI facility to get further evaluated. #Vikings—
Sean Jensen (@seankjensen) December 08, 2013
NFL fans need no reminder that it was late in the 2011 season that Peterson suffered his horrible knee injury, during a rather meaningless Week 15 trip to Washington. He returned from that setback to lead the league with 2,097 yards rushing last season and had piled up 1,208 yards over the Vikings’ first 12 games of 2013. He entered Sunday’s game with a 120-yard lead on LeSean McCoy for the rushing title. The Eagles haven’t had the rushing leader since Steve Van Buren in 1949.
So this is pretty awful. pic.twitter.com/vke1IyI3ry
— World of Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) December 8, 2013
