EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Adrian Peterson has been activated by the Minnesota Vikings and will be eligible to play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Vikings announced Peterson's return on Saturday and placed Toby Johnson on waivers in order to free up a roster spot. Johnson had been signed to the 53-man roster on Monday after spending the earlier part of the season on Minnesota's practice squad.
Peterson was "designated for return" from injured reserve this week and able to practice without counting toward the 53-man roster limits. The Vikings had a 21-day window for evaluation before making the decision, but Peterson showed enough and responded well in practices to accelerate the decision.
Sunday's game will be three months to the day that he suffered a torn meniscus against Green Bay in Week 2. Peterson had surgery the following week and began rehabbing with the goal of returning this season.
The Vikings all-time leading rusher has 11,725 yards and 97 rushing yards on 2,412 carries (4.9 yards per carry).
Peterson has won the league rushing title three times, including in 2015, when he helped the Vikings win the NFC North. He enters the final three weeks of the season with 50 yards on 31 carries in the first two weeks of the season, so he won't have a shot at defending the rush title, but he's more interested in helping the Vikings find a way into the postseason.
"I'm extremely hungry to get out there and help these guys win. That's what it's all about," Peterson said this week. "That's why I do it.
"It's not for yards or anything like that. It's for the guys in this locker room, the sweat during training camp and OTAs," Peterson added. "We're brothers, we're family. We spend so much time with each other, even more than with family, so the reason I've fought so hard to get back is for the guys like Chad Greenway, B-Rob (Brian Robison), Terence Newman, all of these guys in this locker room, including the coaching staff."
After a 5-0 start and a stretch where they lost six of seven games, the Vikings are 7-6 and vying for a playoff spot. They know the importance of winning out to give themselves the best shot.
It's similar to Minnesota's status in 2012 when the Vikings won four straight to finish 10-6 and earn the No. 6 seed in the NFC Playoffs.
The Vikings frequently turned to Peterson throughout that season, his most prolific as a pro. Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards, finishing just nine shy of breaking the NFL record. He rushed 114 times for 651 yards and four touchdowns in the final four games.
The Vikings offense has been evolving since he last took the field in what was Sam Bradford's first start with Minnesota. The offense has tried to maintain balance between running and passing, but also has turned to shorter passes to be an extension of the run game. Pat Shurmur took over as interim offensive coordinator in November after Norv Turner resigned.
Peterson was asked about the differences on Thursday and said, "the terminology, because there's still a lot of stuff that remains the same and just a couple wrinkles in there that are a little different."
"But outside of that, when you have a different offensive coordinator, they have a little different approach, so the meeting room is different as well," Peterson added. "But outside of that, we're still pretty much the same offense that we had previously, just with some new twists."
During a weekly session with reporters on Thursday, Shurmur was asked about what he saw from Peterson, about potential role and how defenses might adjust with him back in the mix.
"Looks good. He's got fresh legs, I guess, and has been able to execute the plays necessary for this game plan," Shurmur said. "We'll just have to see if he's ready yet. It's a process, so you go through the practice sessions and as you recover from the practice sessions into the next day.
"There certainly are some new things that we're doing that he's not as familiar with," Shurmur later added. "He's been in meetings. He's been around. He's somewhat familiar with what we're doing."
Shurmur said defenses generally bring a safety into the box and play just one deep when Peterson is in the game, and "that's a little bit in line with the way" the Colts play.
With right guard Brandon Fusco out, the Vikings are set to use their seventh combination of offensive linemen in their 14th game. Vikings coaches have seen recent improvements in the way the team is running the ball.
"We're going to try to do the same thing with Adrian in the game as if he wasn't," Shurmur said. "We think it's important to run the football. We found a way to get a little bit better in the run game the last few weeks. Certainly with Adrian in there, hopefully that will improve even more."
