Peterson semifinalist for 'Madden 25' cover

Published Apr. 11, 2013 1:53 p.m. ET

foxsports

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Adrian Peterson proved coming back from major knee surgery to be no obstacle for his immense talents.

But can he overcome a cover jinx?

Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings MVP running back after rushing for the second-most yards in single-season NFL history, is one of the final four players in the annual voting for the "Madden 25" video game cover.

In bracketing that features new school versus old school, Peterson has lasted into the semifinals of the new school bracket and is up against Houston Texans running back Arian Foster. Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders faces San Francisco 49ers receiver Jerry Rice in the semifinals in the old-school bracket.

Voting is being done online on ESPN's Sports Nation. The semifinals voting runs April 10-17, with the finals voting April 17-24. Peterson has beaten Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III to reach the semifinals.

Of course, the Madden cover has long been considered a jinx, befalling the likes of former Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Donovan McNabb and Shaun Alexander.

Last year though, Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson won the voting and was on the cover. While his touchdown production declined, he set a single-season receiving record with 1,964 yards.

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