NFL

Adrian Peterson Might Never Be The Same

Lost in the shuffle of a crazy holiday weekend was the fact that Adrian Peterson blew out his knee against the Redskins on Saturday. For one of the faces of the league (and one of the best young runners in the NFL) it was a potentially career-altering development.

It looked bad when it happened, and now we know just how bad: AP suffered a torn ACL and MCL that ends his season, makes his return for opening day 2012 doubtful, and will seriously affect his ability to cut and juke until at least 2013, probably 2014.

Peterson was just 30 yards away from his fifth straight 1,000 yard season, and there are obvious concerns over what kind of player he’ll be when he comes back: it’s often said that NFL players, especially running backs, don’t make full recoveries from major knee operations until two years out. Peterson’s consistency is his greatest attribute, and that consistency will be in doubt moving forward.

There are two bright spots for Vikings fans, though. Wes Welker suffered a similar injury in a late-season game in 2009, and only took seven months to recover. He hasn’t lost a step. Also: Peterson’s torn-up knee is only 26 years old. Hopefully, like Welker, he’s one of those rare freaks that can bounce back from orthopedic surgery quickly.