Minnesota Vikings Adrain Peterson Still In Walking Boot, Doesn’t Need Surgery
By Sarita Kelly
Minnesota Vikings Adrian Peterson will not be needing surgery on his sprained right foot, but he stay in a walking boot this week, leaving doubt for his status in Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles at the Metrodome, a team official confirmed Tuesday.
An MRI and a CT scan revealed no fractures or structural damage, and Peterson said Monday he expected to play. But a team official has said it was too early to decide.
X-rays at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore were negative after Peterson left during Sunday’s 29-26 loss to the Ravens early in the second quarter. He “felt it pop a couple times,” he said, when his foot twisted underneath Ravens linebacker Arthur Brown’s tackle near the Vikings’ bench.
Dec 8, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) gets carted off the field against the Baltimore Ravens at M
After being carted to the locker room, Peterson kept his pads on and tried to stay loose during the third quarter before determining he could not push off or run effectively on the snowy turf.
“It really didn’t swell up too much, so that’s another positive thing,” he said Monday. “But I’m sure it will be sore for a little bit.”
Meanwhile, backup running back Toby Gerhart strained his hamstring in his 41-yard touchdown run with 1:27 remaining.
That gave Minnesota a 19-15 lead the Vikings could not preserve during a wild finish, in which the teams combined for five touchdowns and 36 points in the final 2:05.
The Vikings might have to tap third-stringer Matt Asiata, who has only three career carries, none of them this season, for primary rushing duty.
Being that the Vikings (3-9-1) are officially out of playoff contention and with less this being their final three games, Coach Leslie Frazier acknowledged “you can’t ignore that fact” in determining whether to play Peterson or potentially shut him down. At this point it is better to keep him healthy and bench him, than to have him come back and potentially cause more damage.