For Vikings fans, it’s probably not hard to remember all the good times with running back Adrian Peterson.
Drafted by Minnesota in 2007, Peterson took the NFL by storm pretty much right away. He won rookie of the year in 2007 and set the single-game record for rushing yards.
He went on to win the MVP in 2012.
Despite that, the 2009 NFC Championship remains a bitter memory for Vikings faithful, though it’s not like that game was totally Peterson’s fault.
The former Vikings and current Lions running back talked with Chris Burke of The Athletic about the 2009 loss. Peterson had three fumbles in that game.
“Yeah, yeah. People give me a hard time, like ‘You fumbled three times.’ Well, I only lost one fumble. So, yeah, the ball was on the ground but I only lost one. Even though I’ve taken that one, on the goal line after Reggie Bush muffed a punt, that one wasn’t on me either.
But a lot of people give me a hard time, these Vikings fans. Like, ‘We would’ve won the game if Adrian wouldn’t have fumbled the ball three times.’ It’s like, yeah, I fumbled but we only lost one of them. I think we had seven fumbles that game (Editor’s note: It was six) — they put some voodoo on us or something. Yeah, I had three touchdowns, like 150 yards or something like that.”
He’s 35, but Peterson has shown he still has value with the Lions in 2020.
