LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Out for the game – and now much longer – with a serious knee injury,
Adrian Peterson
was on his way back from the X-ray room in the depths of the stadium when he looked at a television monitor.

“I see Toby break up the sideline,” Peterson said. “So, `Go, Toby, go.”‘

What else could happen to the
Minnesota Vikings
in one of the worst seasons in franchise history? How about losing Peterson to a direct hit on the left knee and
Christian Ponder
to a possible concussion on back-to-back plays to start the second half? It just didn’t seem fair.

And the news only got worse as Saturday went on. The Vikings said an MRI showed that Peterson tore the anterior cruciate ligament
in his left knee, and coach Leslie Frazier will provide a further update at his news conference Monday.

But here’s a twist: They won the game.
Toby Gerhart
and
Joe Webb
answered the call, leading Saturday’s 33-26 victory over the
Washington Redskins
that snapped a six-game losing streak and helped make up for the fact that their best player was standing on crutches in the
locker room.

“I can enjoy my Christmas now,” Frazier said.

Gerhart scampered for a 67-yard run – the play Peterson saw on TV – to start Minnesota’s next series after the Peterson-Ponder
injuries and finished with 109 yards on 11 carries. Webb again made a case to be a starting quarterback by throwing for two
touchdowns and running for another as the Vikings (3-12) kept alive their hopes to not finish with the worst record in team
history. A win next week against Chicago would put them ahead of the dubious 1984 Minnesota team that went 3-13.

Asked if it’s time to give the option-running Webb a look at the No. 1 job, Frazier didn’t hesitate.

“Some of the things he does, and what it does to the rest of our team, you can’t ignore,” Frazier said. “So it’s something
we’re going to have a real hard look at as we go forward. He definitely lifts our team.”

He might get the start next week, at least, because of Ponder’s injury, but Webb surely was an inspiring presence Saturday,
completing 4 of 5 passes for 84 yards and rushing five times for 34 yards. His 9-yard touchdown run came on the option, and
he put a perfect 17-yard scoring pass into the arms of rookie tight end
Kyle Rudolph
, a touchdown appropriate for Christmas Eve, to give the Vikings a 23-20 lead late in the third quarter.

“When they bring in a weapon like that,” Redskins linebacker
Perry Riley
said of Webb, “not a secret weapon – we’d seen him on tape and we had a feeling – but it’s hard to prepare fully on a short
week for two quarterbacks. … It’s hard to change it mid-stream like that.”

Webb’s 8-yard pass to
Percy Harvin
broke a 23-all tie early in the fourth quarter, and rookie
Mistral Raymond
‘s first career interception set up
Ryan Longwell
‘s 23-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 10-point lead with 4:05 to play. Minnesota had gone nine games without a pick
before Raymond’s big play.

The Redskins pulled within a touchdown on
Graham Gano
‘s 47-yard field goal with 1:25 remaining. They got the ball back after a punt, but
Rex Grossman
‘s final long fling to the end zone fell incomplete to give Washington (5-10) a sixth straight home loss, its longest such
skid since 1994.

Peterson said he knew “it was something bad” the moment he was hit by safety
DeJon Gomes
at the end of a 3-yard gain on the first offensive play of the second half. The X-rays were negative, but Peterson had an
MRI late Saturday after the team returned to Minnesota.

“It’s such a special person that you want to be right before you prognosticate on what might be,” Frazier said before the
exam.

The torn ACL, the worst-case scenario, will likely sideline Peterson for some nine months and make it difficult for him to
return for the start of next season.

“Anytime you take a blow to the knee like that, you’re concerned about the ACL, MCL,” Peterson said before the diagnosis.
“I’m trying to stay as positive as I can.”

On the play after Peterson was hurt, Ponder suffered a head injury when sacked by
Adam Carriker
and
London Fletcher
. Ponder remained in the game for one more play – a third-down incomplete pass – before heading to the locker room.

Frazier said Ponder had “concussion-like symptoms.” The coach said he’s uncertain whether the quarterback will play in next
week’s season finale against the Bears.

“We’ll have to weigh it when we get back,” Frazier said, “and I’ll follow the doctor’s lead.”

With the way Webb is playing, Ponder might get the week off anyway.

Notes: Grossman had two more giveaways – a lost fumble and interception – to put his total at 24 for the season. He was already
tied for the most turnovers in the NFL entering the game. … Washington’s
Evan Royster
, getting the start with fellow rookie
Roy Helu
out with an injury, ran for 132 yards on 19 carries. … Minnesota’s
Jared Allen
had one sack to raise his total to 18 1/2. … The Vikings were also short-handed along the offensive line, with guard
Steve Hutchinson
inactive with a concussion and guard
Anthony Herrera
sidelined for part of the game with a lower back injury.

—

© 2011 STATS LLC

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Out for the game – and now much longer – with a serious knee injury,
Adrian Peterson
was on his way back from the X-ray room in the depths of the stadium when he looked at a television monitor.

“I see Toby break up the sideline,” Peterson said. “So, `Go, Toby, go.”‘

What else could happen to the
Minnesota Vikings
in one of the worst seasons in franchise history? How about losing Peterson to a direct hit on the left knee and
Christian Ponder
to a possible concussion on back-to-back plays to start the second half? It just didn’t seem fair.

And the news only got worse as Saturday went on. The Vikings said an MRI showed that Peterson tore the anterior cruciate ligament
in his left knee, and coach Leslie Frazier will provide a further update at his news conference Monday.

But here’s a twist: They won the game.
Toby Gerhart
and
Joe Webb
answered the call, leading Saturday’s 33-26 victory over the
Washington Redskins
that snapped a six-game losing streak and helped make up for the fact that their best player was standing on crutches in the
locker room.

“I can enjoy my Christmas now,” Frazier said.

Gerhart scampered for a 67-yard run – the play Peterson saw on TV – to start Minnesota’s next series after the Peterson-Ponder
injuries and finished with 109 yards on 11 carries. Webb again made a case to be a starting quarterback by throwing for two
touchdowns and running for another as the Vikings (3-12) kept alive their hopes to not finish with the worst record in team
history. A win next week against Chicago would put them ahead of the dubious 1984 Minnesota team that went 3-13.

Asked if it’s time to give the option-running Webb a look at the No. 1 job, Frazier didn’t hesitate.

“Some of the things he does, and what it does to the rest of our team, you can’t ignore,” Frazier said. “So it’s something
we’re going to have a real hard look at as we go forward. He definitely lifts our team.”

He might get the start next week, at least, because of Ponder’s injury, but Webb surely was an inspiring presence Saturday,
completing 4 of 5 passes for 84 yards and rushing five times for 34 yards. His 9-yard touchdown run came on the option, and
he put a perfect 17-yard scoring pass into the arms of rookie tight end
Kyle Rudolph
, a touchdown appropriate for Christmas Eve, to give the Vikings a 23-20 lead late in the third quarter.

“When they bring in a weapon like that,” Redskins linebacker
Perry Riley
said of Webb, “not a secret weapon – we’d seen him on tape and we had a feeling – but it’s hard to prepare fully on a short
week for two quarterbacks. … It’s hard to change it mid-stream like that.”

Webb’s 8-yard pass to
Percy Harvin
broke a 23-all tie early in the fourth quarter, and rookie
Mistral Raymond
‘s first career interception set up
Ryan Longwell
‘s 23-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 10-point lead with 4:05 to play. Minnesota had gone nine games without a pick
before Raymond’s big play.

The Redskins pulled within a touchdown on
Graham Gano
‘s 47-yard field goal with 1:25 remaining. They got the ball back after a punt, but
Rex Grossman
‘s final long fling to the end zone fell incomplete to give Washington (5-10) a sixth straight home loss, its longest such
skid since 1994.

Peterson said he knew “it was something bad” the moment he was hit by safety
DeJon Gomes
at the end of a 3-yard gain on the first offensive play of the second half. The X-rays were negative, but Peterson had an
MRI late Saturday after the team returned to Minnesota.

“It’s such a special person that you want to be right before you prognosticate on what might be,” Frazier said before the
exam.

The torn ACL, the worst-case scenario, will likely sideline Peterson for some nine months and make it difficult for him to
return for the start of next season.

“Anytime you take a blow to the knee like that, you’re concerned about the ACL, MCL,” Peterson said before the diagnosis.
“I’m trying to stay as positive as I can.”

On the play after Peterson was hurt, Ponder suffered a head injury when sacked by
Adam Carriker
and
London Fletcher
. Ponder remained in the game for one more play – a third-down incomplete pass – before heading to the locker room.

Frazier said Ponder had “concussion-like symptoms.” The coach said he’s uncertain whether the quarterback will play in next
week’s season finale against the Bears.

“We’ll have to weigh it when we get back,” Frazier said, “and I’ll follow the doctor’s lead.”

With the way Webb is playing, Ponder might get the week off anyway.

Notes: Grossman had two more giveaways – a lost fumble and interception – to put his total at 24 for the season. He was already
tied for the most turnovers in the NFL entering the game. … Washington’s
Evan Royster
, getting the start with fellow rookie
Roy Helu
out with an injury, ran for 132 yards on 19 carries. … Minnesota’s
Jared Allen
had one sack to raise his total to 18 1/2. … The Vikings were also short-handed along the offensive line, with guard
Steve Hutchinson
inactive with a concussion and guard
Anthony Herrera
sidelined for part of the game with a lower back injury.

—

© 2011 STATS LLC

STORY LINES

Woeful pass D: The Vikings have lost four in a row, six of their past seven, and nothing can be blamed more than their inept pass defense. Over the past seven games, the Vikings’ secondary has allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 71% of their passes and throw for 1,808 yards, 18 touchdowns and no interceptions. The Vikings’ pass defense ranks 26th overall and has only six interceptions.

Will Ponder, Peterson play? The game-time decisions of starting running back Adrian Peterson and quarterback Christian Ponder will impact the Vikings’ game plan and the Lions’ defensive scheme drastically. If Peterson, who has missed the past two games, can’t go, third-year running back Toby Gerhart will start. Gerhart is strictly a between-the-tackles runner who doesn’t have the speed to get outside like Peterson can. If Ponder can’t start due to a hip pointer, backup Joe Webb will make the third start of his career. Webb was 0-2 in two starts last season, including a 20-13 loss to the Lions.

Allen-Cunningham Feud: The Vikings’ best defensive player, Jared Allen, ripped on Detroit this past week, saying he would not want to live here because it is gloomy, among other things. Lions defensive coordinator — and Allen’s former defensive coordinator in Kansas City — Gunther Cunningham fired back at Allen on Friday, saying he’s “not good enough to live here. I know him well; he should go back to California, Los Gatos, where all those nice people live. This is too tough of a town for him.”

LAST GAME

The Vikings led in each quarter but couldn’t stop Broncos QB Tim Tebow from orchestrating another fourth-quarter comeback in a 35-32 loss. Broncos kicker Matt Prater’s 23-yard field goal as time expired capped the scoring and sent the Vikings to their fourth consecutive defeat. Vikings WR Percy Harvin had a career-high 156 receiving yards, and Gerhart gained 91 yards on 21 carries to lead the offense. Ponder was picked off twice, lost a fumble and was under constant pressure.

LAST MEETING

The Lions trailed, 20-0, at halftime in the Metrodome in September before a furious second-half comeback forced overtime. Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes in the second half, and Jason Hanson kicked a 32-yard field goal to win it in overtime. Calvin Johnson had seven catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns for the Lions, who started 3-0 for the first time since 1980. This also was the Lions’ first win at the Metrodome since 1997, snapping a 13-game skid.

Join Free Press special writer Nick Meyer for a live blog of the Lions-Vikings game Sunday at freep.com/sports.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings are bracing for the possibility that they will be missing both quarterback Christian Ponder and running back Adrian Peterson against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Both are listed as questionable for the game, with Ponder bothered by a hip pointer and Peterson still recuperating from a high ankle sprain. Ponder missed the first two practices of the week before returning to work on Friday and Peterson practiced on a limited basis with that injured left ankle.

Coach Leslie Frazier said both would be evaluated on Saturday to see if they make improvement.

“I think I’ll be pushing for it no matter what,” Peterson said. “But I feel like coach Frazier has my best interests at hand, so we’ll see how things go. Hopefully I wake up feeling great and I’ll be able to kind of distinguish tomorrow when I run on it and things like that, see how I feel if I’ll be able to play.”

The Vikings’ leading rusher with 872 yards and 12 total touchdowns has missed two straight games.

Ponder suffered a hip pointer last weekend against Denver that noticeably limited his mobility in the game.

“It’s OK, definitely better,” Ponder said. “It was really sore on Monday and Tuesday. I felt like I was moving around not too badly out there today. It’s really gotten better the past 36 hours. So, we’ll see how it feels tomorrow and Sunday.”

Backup Joe Webb would start if Ponder isn’t ready.

Receiver Percy Harvin was limited again Friday after tearing a ligament in his finger during Wednesday’s practice. Harvin is probable for Sunday.

Peterson signed the richest contract for a running back in league history in the offseason, and at 2-10 the Vikings have little to play for. So it would make sense that the team would be extra cautious with their prized player, but Frazier said if Peterson is healthy enough to play, he’ll be in the lineup.

“He would have liked to have played the last two weeks if it were just purely his decision,” Frazier said. “But it would not have been a good thing to put him out there the last couple of weeks.”

The Vikings have more of an interest in getting Ponder back onto the field right away. The rookie, who took over the starting job in Week 7, needs all the seasoning and experience he can get to make him better prepared for next year.

“I’m confident that I’ll be able to go,” he said. “I think it’s a matter of my effectiveness. I don’t know how effective I’ll be. I would like to think that I’d be playing at 100 percent, but I don’t know if that’s 100 percent true. We’ll see.”

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings are bracing for the possibility that they will be missing both quarterback Christian Ponder and running back Adrian Peterson against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Both are listed as questionable for the game, with Ponder bothered by a hip pointer and Peterson still recuperating from a high ankle sprain. Ponder missed the first two practices of the week before returning to work on Friday and Peterson practiced on a limited basis with that injured left ankle.

Coach Leslie Frazier said both would be evaluated on Saturday to see if they make improvement.

“I think I’ll be pushing for it no matter what,” Peterson said. “But I feel like coach Frazier has my best interests at hand, so we’ll see how things go. Hopefully I wake up feeling great and I’ll be able to kind of distinguish tomorrow when I run on it and things like that, see how I feel if I’ll be able to play.”

The Vikings’ leading rusher with 872 yards and 12 total touchdowns has missed two straight games.

Ponder suffered a hip pointer last weekend against Denver that noticeably limited his mobility in the game.

“It’s OK, definitely better,” Ponder said. “It was really sore on Monday and Tuesday. I felt like I was moving around not too badly out there today. It’s really gotten better the past 36 hours. So, we’ll see how it feels tomorrow and Sunday.”

Backup Joe Webb would start if Ponder isn’t ready.

Receiver Percy Harvin was limited again Friday after tearing a ligament in his finger during Wednesday’s practice. Harvin is probable for Sunday.

Peterson signed the richest contract for a running back in league history in the offseason, and at 2-10 the Vikings have little to play for. So it would make sense that the team would be extra cautious with their prized player, but Frazier said if Peterson is healthy enough to play, he’ll be in the lineup.

“He would have liked to have played the last two weeks if it were just purely his decision,” Frazier said. “But it would not have been a good thing to put him out there the last couple of weeks.”

The Vikings have more of an interest in getting Ponder back onto the field right away. The rookie, who took over the starting job in Week 7, needs all the seasoning and experience he can get to make him better prepared for next year.

“I’m confident that I’ll be able to go,” he said. “I think it’s a matter of my effectiveness. I don’t know how effective I’ll be. I would like to think that I’d be playing at 100 percent, but I don’t know if that’s 100 percent true. We’ll see.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read More: Lorenzo Booker (RB – MIN), Percy Harvin (WR – MIN), Toby Gerhart (RB – MIN), Christian Ponder (QB – MIN), Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will not play against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday after the team ruled him out following a Saturday morning walk through.

Peterson suffered a high ankle sprain last Sunday against the Oakland Raiders as early diagnosis of the injury revealed it wouldn’t keep the running back out for the season. Peterson spent much of the week out of practice and in a walking boot, hoping to heal enough to give it against Atlanta. But his doubtful status turned worse this morning when the team gathered for final game preparations.

With Peterson on the sidelines, bruising back Toby Gerhart will likely start in his place taking the bulk of the carries, while Percy Harvin and Lorenzo Booker will look to help replace the big play burst Peterson threatens opponents with by himself.

Quarterback Christian Ponder has a chance to raise his profile as a leader on offense, as the rookie will have to manage the team without leaning on Peterson to make plays to keep the ball moving.

The Minnesota Vikings are in the midst of another down season. Minnesota has been a punching bag in one of the strongest divisions in football. The Vikings have a 2-8 record and are virtually assured of a last place finish in the NFC North. One more loss should seal their fate. Unfortunately, Minnesota faces a tough road test against the Atlanta Falcons on November 27. They are likely to be without their best offensive player for the game. Adrian Peterson is doubtful with a high ankle sprain.

Peterson suffered the ankle injury against the Oakland Raiders on November 20. Peterson was wearing a boot through Thanksgiving. Though the boot was removed, he is still unable to practice. The ankle sprain seems likely to force him out of this game and could create some questions about this status the following week. It’s not the kind of injury that should keep Peterson out for more than two or three games. However, it is serious enough to make it virtually impossible to play so soon after sustaining it.

Peterson is by far the most important player on the offensive side of the ball for this team. He has been one of the best running backs in the league for several years and was on track for another big year. Despite playing on a bad football team, Peterson has 12 total touchdowns in 2011. That includes 11 on the ground. His 872 rushing yards put him in the top 10 among running backs in that category. His 186 carries are by far the most of any player on the team. His backup, Stanford alum Toby Gerhart(notes), has just 24 rushes on the season. This isn’t just a simple matter of replacing a back. For Minnesota, the entire offense runs through Peterson.

With a rookie quarterback and limited play at other skill positions, Peterson was counted on to keep the Vikings competitive. He has done his part. If he can’t play against the Falcons, any small glimmer of hope for a Minnesota win seems to have faded. Since reaching the NFC Championship Game after the 2009 season, the Vikings have become a bad team. They have the potential to finish as the worst team in the NFC in 2011. If Peterson misses more than one or two games, there is little reason to think the Vikings can find any success.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Early in the season, the Minnesota Vikings learned that you can’t play the first half and forget about the second. Now, they’re learning that you can’t wait until the fourth quarter to finally act like winning is the goal.

When the Vikings hosted the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, they forgot that a football game consists of 60 minutes worth of action. Despite the Vikings’ fourth-quarter surge, the Raiders were still able to hand them their eighth loss of the season by a score of 27-21.

The Vikings took an early lead on the Raiders after a 12-yard scamper by Adrian Peterson ended in six points. Although the drive was kept alive and spurred numerous times by Raiders’ penalties, the Vikings managed to capitalize on the opportunities given to them.

Then, the Vikings took the biggest blow they could have been dealt when Peterson sprained his ankle on their next offensive possession. After gashing the Raiders’ defensive front for another 12 yards, Peterson had his ankle rolled up on and painfully limped off of the field. Although he was carted to the locker room and listed by the team as doubtful, he returned to the field dressed and ready to go in the second half. He couldn’t overcome that doubt, though, as he spent the rest of the game on the sideline while fighting the painful grimace that kept forcing its way on to his face.

It was all downhill from there for the Vikings, who gave up 27 unanswered points to the Raiders. Whether it was quarterback Carson Palmer(notes) picking apart the defensive secondary or Michael Bush(notes) barreled his way through the defensive front, the Vikings struggled to slow down the Raiders offensive assault.

The offense wasn’t any better for the Vikings. The loss of Peterson put the running game on crutches despite the fact that rookie quarterback Christian Ponder(notes) picked up a large chunk of yards whenever he scrambled. Backup running back Toby Gerhart(notes) and wide receiver Percy Harvin(notes) found some daylight on the ground, but the huge deficit on the scoreboard forced the ground attack to the backburner.

Unfortunately, the passing game’s dominance might have been a key determinant in their loss. Although Ponder looked confidence as ever slinging the pigskin, his three interceptions took the air out of the Vikings offense over and over. Almost every interception came when the Vikings were driving, including one that was picked off in the endzone after a Bush fumble set the Vikings up with great field position. His poise and moxie can’t be questioned, but Ponder’s decision making needs to improve greatly if the Vikings hope for him to develop into a franchise quarterback. He finished the game with 211 yards and two touchdowns to go along with those three interceptions.

What really put the Vikings in a bind, though, was their putrid special teams. The Raiders consistently got big yards on kick and punt returns, putting the defense in short field situations. The only field goal attempt on the game for the Vikings was botched in numerous aspects, which again left the silver and black with great field position. The biggest screw up, however, was the Lorenzo Booker(notes) kick return fumble that set up another Raiders touchdown just before halftime. Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer looked like he was about to blow a gasket, and rightfully so.

Overall, it was an ugly performance for the Vikings. Both teams combined for 21 penalties (and 167 penalty yards) as yellow flags flew like they were confetti pieces at a New Year’s Eve party. Despite closing the gap to six points in the fourth quarter, they had dug too deep a hole throughout the first quarters and couldn’t muster enough big plays to earn a win.

With the loss of Peterson, this season is really caught in a downward spiral. At 2-8, the Vikings are now playing for pride as well as the hope of raining on another team’s parade. Whether they ever manage to play spoiler or not is yet to be seen, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up going 2-14 on the season. This team has a lot of work to do this offseason and things only seem to be getting worse for the Norsemen as the 2011 season progresses.

Here’s to another week of hoping that the Vikings can get their act together and find a way to not hang their own noose.

Gil Alcaraz IV is a life-long follower of the Minnesota Vikings and the founder of TheVikingDen.com. For more Vikings/NFL coverage, follow him on Twitter.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

It’s like Monday night all over again.

At halftime, the Minnesota Vikings are down 24-7 to the Oakland Raiders and nothing appears to be going right for the purple and gold.

The defense can’t find a way to slow down Carson Palmer and the Raiders’ passing game and the offense continues to shoot itself in the foot with penalties and poor blocking.

The biggest story of the first half for the Vikings is the loss of running back Adrian Peterson. During a 12-yard run, Peterson’s left ankle got rolled up on and he came up limping. After being helped off of the field, he was eventually taken to the locker room where the training staff continued to work on his ankle.

The team released that Peterson has a sprained left ankle and is questionable to return to the game. Although it seems unlikely that he’ll return, I wouldn’t expect the Vikings to want to return him to the lineup with the lopsided score staring them in the face. Instead, they need to give Toby Gerhart some opportunities to get some work in while Peterson rests his ankle.

Prior to the injury, Peterson scored the Vikings’ only touchdown of the day on a 12-yard scamper that capped off a drive that included three 15-yard penalties by the Raiders.

The Raiders have gotten touchdowns from Michael Bush (2-yard run), Chaz Schilens (11-yard catch) and Palmer (1-yard run). The offense has been firing on all cylinders and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. With the big lead, expect the running game to become a focus in the second half.

The only other positive aspect of the Vikings’ offensive performance to this point is the running of rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. With the overwhelming amount of poor pass blocking, Ponder has been forced to scramble numerous times in hopes of keeping his life. So far, the young gunslinger has ran for 54 yards while throwing for only 67.

If the Vikings have any hopes of making this a game, they need to put the ball in the hands of Percy Harvin (four catches, 46 yards) and hope that the defense can find a way to slow down Palmer and the Raiders offense.

Here we go with another 30 minutes of what can only be assumed to be ugly Vikings football.

Gil Alcaraz IV is a life-long follower of the Minnesota Vikings and the founder of TheVikingDen.com. For more Vikings/NFL coverage, follow him on Twitter.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

By Brian Hall
FOXSportsNorth.com

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — When the Minnesota Vikings committed $100 million to Adrian Peterson on a seven-year contract extension, they tied themselves to the talented Pro Bowl running back and shaped their offensive philosophy for the next several seasons.

Now coaches are trying to remind themselves to continue using him.

Peterson received just five carries in the second half of Sunday’s 26-23 overtime loss to the Detroit Lions. Unable to sustain drives, Minnesota simply lost track of perhaps its best offensive weapon after a couple of unsuccessful carries.

“What we have to make sure we’re always conscious of, and I have to remind myself of this — even if Adrian gets stopped for a negative gain or two yards because they’ve got so many people at the line of scrimmage, he’s such a great player that even against eight-man fronts he can still make something happen,” coach Leslie Frazier said. “You can’t ever forget that. Second half, they came with more eight-man fronts because of Adrian, for sure, and we’ve just got to stay with it and it will continue to open up other things.”

Peterson finished with 17 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown, but had just five yards on five carries in the second half.

“We didn’t create a lot of drives in the second half, and that kind of limited myself in the second half,” Peterson said. “I felt like going through this for the third week a lot of eyes were opened to some things. I think we’re going to come with a new approach this week.”

Misuse of Peterson in the second half has been as disturbing a trend as letting double-digit halftime leads slip away.

Even more puzzling than the overall attempts, Peterson was a decoy on the most important run of the day. Facing a fourth-and-1 from the Detroit 17-yard line in the fourth quarter, Peterson was lined up behind Toby Gerhart. Peterson went wide as if he were running a toss and Gerhart took a quick handoff but was met for no gain. The Lions ended up driving for a tying field goal.

On Monday, Frazier said he wouldn’t have done anything differently.

“Wouldn’t mind if I could have gone out there and made that block for our guys, got that first down,” Frazier joked. “Thought we could get it, didn’t work out. Really felt like it would put us in a position to eat some clock and maybe go up 10 at that point. I think it was 23-20 at that point. Didn’t work out.”

Thus far in the season, Peterson has 58 carries for a total of 296 yards. He routinely faces defense with eight or nine men up front to stop him, but that hasn’t always been a deterrent.

“Once I get a crease and I’m out, there’s not too many guys left to beat,” Peterson said. “But I’ve been facing eight-, nine-man fronts since I’ve been here. Even when (Brett) Favre was here, I was facing eight- and nine-man fronts. I feel like I’ve got a lot of confidence in the guys up front that we can, no matter the situation or point of the game, we’ll be able to run the ball.”

Peterson did have a 14-yard carry in the fourth quarter called back on a holding penalty by receiver Michael Jenkins. However, his last carry of the game came with 5:07 remaining when he lost four yards.

“It’s just us always being conscious of, ‘Hey, OK, it was no gain. Don’t stop giving it to him. Come back next series or next play and give it to him again,’” Frazier said. “He’s really the bell cow for our offense, and everything revolves around him. So whatever we do, any success we have will come off of what Adrian Peterson brings to us. So when we struggle on offense, it’s usually because Adrian is not a big part of our offense, in general, and yesterday was case in point.”

Starks reportedly in for a visit: Frazier wouldn’t confirm a report on 1500espn.com that free-agent offensive tackle Max Starks was in for a visit Monday. Starks, released by Pittsburgh after the lockout ended, has played in 95 games and started 68 during his seven seasons with the Steelers after being a third-round draft pick in 2004.

“I know we’ve talked about bringing in some guys to work out, and I know Max is one of the guys we’re going to work out,” Frazier said. “But we’re always bringing in guys all through the season to work out. It doesn’t mean it’s an imminent signing. We’re always bringing in guys.”

Frazier maintained that he has been pleased with the current offensive line and doesn’t have plans for any significant changes, barring any injuries for unforeseen developments.

Chargers’ next opponent

Minnesota Vikings (6-10 in 2010)

1:15 p.m. Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium

Less than 20 months ago, there was purple in the NFC Championship Game, the Minnesota Vikings falling four points short of the Super Bowl. And then, ahem, the roof caved in.

OK, so it’s a bad line. But the Vikings became such a bad story in such short order, the only good news is that they weren’t on the field when the Mall of America Field dome collapsed and the snow came crashing down last December. So many of the personnel problems are gone — Brett Favre, Randy Moss, Brad Childress — but the damage has been done and it’s going to take a long while for the Vikes to shovel out from the mess.

Of all quarterbacks, the Vikings traded for Donovan McNabb, coming off his own nightmare season in Washington. Speaking of bad lines, too, he’s working behind one of the NFL’s worst blocking units. Which makes it all the more amazing how Adrian Peterson has remained one of the NFL’s pre-eminent running backs, ranking sixth in rushing last year.

Having taken over for the deposed Childress after 10 games last year, new head coach Leslie Frazier got three wins out of Minnesota over the last six games, including an upset of the Philadelphia Eagles. Since then, the Vikes lost one of their best offensive threats (Sidney Rice) and defensive stalwarts (Ray Edwards) to free agency, not to mention team leader Pat Williams.

At the same time, Minnesota has a new offensive coordinator for the first time in five years, and Bill Musgrave’s had to implement his system without benefit of minicamps and OTA’s and all the other things missed due to lockout.

Three players to watch

Donovan McNabb, QB: The Vikings would like McNabb to be kind of like Favre, but without actually being Favre. Meaning, they’re hoping he can be rejuvenated like the Favre who donned the horns in 2009 and played like a kid again, because McNabb’s pretty much getting written off now as old news around the NFL. His arm may still be sore from his last visit to Qualcomm, a 31-23 win by the Chargers over the Eagles in which McNabb threw 55 passes, completing 35 for 450 yards while Michael Vick mostly watched from the sideline.

Adrian Peterson, RB: Musgrave is a highly respected coach, smart enough to not overlook the obvious, which is that any team with Peterson should not be thinking pass-first. As well as he played last year, Peterson indeed should play an even more prominent role this year, and his arrival should be the perfect opening test for a Chargers team that’s going to get run on plenty in AFC West play.

Jared Allen, DE: At some point, Allen may look around the defensive huddle Sunday and wonder where everyone went. Allen was almost his usual dervish self last year with 11 sacks, but he’ll have neither half of the so-called “Williams Wall” in the trenches with him, since Pat Williams is gone and Kevin Williams is sitting out the opener due to a two-game suspension. A Chargers nemesis dating back to his days with the Kansas City Chiefs, Allen has four career sacks in eight games against the Chargers.

Familiar faces

Cam Turner, assistant to the head coach, is the nephew of Chargers head coach Norv Turner. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer’s father, Chuck, coached special teams for the Chargers from 1992-96. And receiver Greg Camarillo spent 2005 on the Chargers’ practice squad and was with the Bolts in 2006, although he never played in a game.

Injury report

None of the players on the Vikings’ 53-man roster was withheld from Minnesota’s opening practice for the Chargers game. The player of the most concern is tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, sidelined much of the preseason with a hamstring issue.

Series history

With each team winning every other game between them, the Chargers and Vikes have split their 10 contests, and it would appear to be San Diego’s turn. Minnesota won the last one, 35-17, a memorable affair of historic significance for both teams. Then a rookie, Peterson ran amok on the Chargers for 296 of the 378 rushing yards amassed by the Vikings, who were in turn embarrassed when Antonio Cromartie caught a missed field goal beneath the goalpost and returned it for a 109-yard TD. This is only the second time since 1982 that the Vikings have played in San Diego.

Did you know?

Minnesota placekicker Ryan Longwell, entering his 15th season, has missed a total of just three of his 46 field-goal attempts over the past two seasons.

Quote:

“We kind of like that we’re under the radar now.” – wide receiver Percy Harvin on the Vikings, who are being widely dismissed as last-place pick, but no longer living the Brett Favre circus.