Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson injury update: Surgery needed on knee

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Minnesota Vikings got some bad news, as it was recently announced that running back Adrian Peterson will need surgery to repair his injured knee.

Watching the Minnesota Vikings defeat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football was bittersweet. While it was great to get a win at U.S. Bank Stadium and beat a division rival, the collective fan base was holding their breath when they saw running back Adrian Peterson go down on the field.

At first, the injury was announced as a torn meniscus. That wouldn’t have been a horrible injury for the veteran running back, as the only major factor for an injury like that is playing through the pain. However, bad news struck today, as it seems the injury is much more complicated than that.

Yes, it is still a meniscus tear, but this style of tear is more serious than the common type and will require surgery and time to heal. ESPN’s Josina Anderson explained this situation on Twitter:

The Pioneer Press says that Adrian Peterson told ESPN today that he will undergo surgery on Thursday, September 22, 2016 to repair the damage. The 3-4 month timeline could have Peterson return for the playoffs if needed, but could also mean that he is out for the season. The Minnesota Vikings will need to make the decision on whether to place the running back on long or short-term injured reserve.

Peterson went down on a routine run play during the third quarter of Sunday night’s game against the Packers. The team finished by using a combination of Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata to close out the game.

Odds are that the team will look to elevate Duluth, Minnesota native C. J. Ham to the main roster for running back depth while Adrian Peterson is on the shelf, but he likely won’t see much playing time behind the two other running backs.

The Viking Age would like to wish Adrian Peterson and speedy and full recovery from his surgery tomorrow. Without him on the field, the Minnesota Vikings offense will have a new identity and possibly a new plan of attack under quarterback Sam Bradford.