Adrian Peterson, All day: The story of his 2012 Season
The story of the 2012 Season of running back Adrian Peterson
Franchises pour endless amounts of resources into their pursuit of perfection on the field. But no more resources and energy is put into a position than quarterback.
It has quickly become the most high-profile position in sports, consequently, every season the leagues best quarterback that year is awarded the Most Valuable Player Award (MVP).
This is not by design, but the position now means so much to a team’s success or failure it’s difficult for award voters to look at any other position.
We are in an era where it takes something truly special, a season above the norm for a running back, a wide receiver or a defensive player to win NFL MVP.
In 2012, Adrian Peterson was already a special running back. This is the story of his special season.
2012 Week 17 - Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
A packed Mall of America Stadium in Minnesota was rocking. For Vikings fans, Packers week is always an event. Immediately circled on the calendar when the team’s schedule is released back in April.
In 2012, it meant so much more. The Vikings were chasing a playoff spot and had to beat their bitter rivals to reach a postseason berth for the first time since Brett Favre’s retirement a few years prior. Meanwhile, their star running back was chasing history.
Adrian Peterson needed 209 rushing yards to overtake Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105. A record that had stood for 28 years. Peterson was already guaranteed an All-pro award as a running back. But he was also in the running for MVP, a feat not achieved by a running back in six seasons.
Peterson and the Vikings needed a win. The MVP was unlikely to be awarded to a player on a non-playoff team. He was on the cusp of greatness. A far cry from where the superstar runner was a year before...
The Comeback Story
What makes a special running back is the inhuman power and explosiveness the greats are able to generate on cuts to avoid tacklers at high speed. Couple that short-area quickness with the high-end speed in the open field to run away from defenders and the vision to see holes in the line mere mortals cannot. Mix in the strength and physical toughness of a defensive lineman and you might be close to describing Adrian Peterson at his best.
With all that explosiveness, a lot of stress is put on the joints and ligaments of running backs. Peterson is no different in that regard. Exactly one year before Week 17, Vikings Vs Packers, Minnesota’s best player was in the hospital, undergoing surgery to repair a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) in his left knee.
Peterson suffered the injury on Christmas Eve, in a Week 16 win over the Washington Football Team. He ended the year 30 yards short of 1,000 for the season. Which would have been his fifth 1,000 yard rushing season in a row to start his career in the NFL.
Against All Odds
Peterson threw himself into his recovery. Adamant he would obliterate the traditional timetable for a return from a severe knee ligament injury. An injury considered a career changer if not a career-ender.
The remarkable NFL comeback of Peterson seemed to have its fitting final chapter when the running back suited up for Minnesota in Week 1 of the 2012 season. Just nine months after suffering his horrific knee injury.
The Vikings earned a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars with Peterson shouldering most of the load at running back. Finding the endzone twice, the miracle worker racked up a modest 84 rushing yards on 17 carries. Merely setting the table for the season to come.
2012 A Season for the Ages
An interesting point about Petersons’ unhuman 2012 season is that it took him a few weeks to warm up. The running back didn’t crack 100 rushing yards in a game until Week 4 against the Detroit Lions as he put that surgically repaired knee to work. And then didn’t reach that milestone again for another three games!
Perhaps Peterson was still finding his sea legs on the recovered knee. He might have needed a few games to recover from the mental scars. The offensive line needed time to gel, which had nothing to do with Peterson.
Whatever the reason for Petersons’ “slow” start, that would not matter in the long run. In a Week 7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Peterson exploded for 153 rushing yards. A performance that kickstarted a historic run.
Another 100-yard outing followed. Against the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions, he rushed for 182 and 172 yards in back-to-back weeks respectively. In the first matchup with Green Bay, Peterson rumbled for his first 200-yard outing of the season in a loss. He would also rush for over 200 yards against the St Louis Rams in Week 15. The Vikings beat the Rams to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Entering Week 17, Adrian Peterson led the league in rushing yards with 1,898 and was averaging over six yards a carry.
The Final Chapter
And so, we are back to where we started.
Week 17, Minnesota Vikings Vs Green Bay Packers. Peterson is 209 rushing yards from NFL history. As predicted, the Vikings offense feeds off the rocking home crowd, and duly feed their star running back. Getting off to a great start, a 7-yard touchdown run by Peterson gave the Vikings a 10-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
But the Packers were led by the reigning league MVP. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Who himself was having another excellent season, with Green Bay already set to host a playoff game. A game that would be against Minnesota if Green Bay lost to their rivals in Week 17.
Rodgers and the Packers charged back in what became the best game of the year. The Vikings tried to cling onto their lead, but Green Bay tied the game up in the fourth quarter. Minnesota’s own quarterback Christian Ponder had the best game of his career. His third touchdown pass of the night gave the Vikings a fourth-quarter lead. Only for Rodgers to answer back the next drive with a touchdown pass of his own. Game tied again, 34 - 34.
Peterson had been gashing Green Bay on the ground. But had only racked up 163 yards on the night. His goal seemed well out of sight. The world assumed Minnesota would have to pass their way into field goal range to have a chance at a game-winning kick.
On third and long, a 25-yard pass from Ponder set the Vikings up just short of midfield, still well off what anyone would consider comfortable field goal range. Then they put the best running back in the league to work.
Minnesota ran the ball four times. Peterson carried the ball each time. He racked up another 36 yards. Drained the clock to a few seconds left. Timeout. Field-goal unit.
Kick. Minnesota wins 37-34 and goes to the playoffs.
Adrian Peterson finished just nine yards short of NFL history.
199 for the game, 2,097 for the 2012 season.
MVP
About a month later, Adrian Peterson stepped on to the NFL Honours stage as the leagues first non-quarterback MVP in six seasons. At the time I write this, eight seasons later he is also the last non-quarterback to win the award.
Running backs need to produce something special to win the award in the NFL.
Adrian Peterson set the standard for running backs in the 21st century and showed future players they can come back from anything. No matter how severe the injury.
He may not quite have made statistical history, but Adrian Peterson’s 2012 MVP season was still historic.
