MINNEAPOLIS — There have been plenty of games in the past nine years, most notably in 2012, when the Vikings fate rested on Adrian Peterson's shoulders.
Peterson posted 10 games that season with more than 100 rushing yards, including eight in a row. He had a whopping seven games with more than 150 yards and four with more than 180 yards.
The Vikings (5-2) benefitted from Peterson's third game with more than 100 yards this season a week ago, building momentum toward hosting the Rams (4-3) today.
In an interview earlier this week on NFL Network's NFL Total Access Peterson said he feels some of the weight has been lifted because the offense is emerging.
"We have a lot of young talent offensively and even though I have the mentality to want to be that guy that does everything, that wins a game every time, we have so many players that are able to make plays," Peterson said. "That helps me kind of relax and really just go out there and take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to me to execute to help our team be successful."
Peterson added: "It relieves some of the pressure even though I still have it inside when I'm out there. I just have to contain it and make sure that I'm taking advantage of opportunities and I'm not getting ahead of myself."
St. Louis has gone 3-1 in its past four games as running back Todd Gurley has become the first rookie to rush for more than 125 yards in each of his first four starts in NFL history.
The Vikings know the importance of getting Peterson going and containing Gurley. There was plenty of content regarding the matchup of players who have recovered from ACL injuries to do great things on the gridiron.
"He's aggressive, he plays physical and he has great feet, and great vision too," Peterson said. "I love what this young guy is doing. I'm wishing him well but not this week against us. He's a talented young guy, he's hungry. He came off the ACL injury and I know how that is. I know the mindset that it takes, the mental focus it takes and the work ethic to come back from that. To be able to come out and have the type of season that he's having, I take my hat off to him."
As kickoff approaches, here are links to related Peterson-Gurley coverage:
Mike Wobschall addressed keys for the Vikings in defending Gurley in his **Final Thoughts**.
Peterson talked about the importance of keeping his feet moving **throughout plays**, which he said he did better in Chicago than in Detroit.
With **similar starts** to their careers, there were plenty of quotes from others about Peterson and Gurley.
