MINNEAPOLIS -- Tickets to see the Minnesota Vikings in their new home this season have been expensive. On Sunday when the Indianapolis Colts make their first visit to U.S. Bank Stadium, ticket buyers will be treated to a bunch of desperate playoff scenarios for free.
Both the Vikings (7-6) and the Colts (6-7) are clinging to hopes that they will be playing after Jan. 1, and both are going to need a win on Sunday -- and plenty of help -- to get it done.
It's also billed as a meeting between two No. 1 overall NFL draft picks with Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford (the top pick in 2010) facing Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (the top pick in 2012).
The injury bug seems determined to take a bit of the shine off that showdown. Luck missed practice on Wednesday with a sore shoulder and elbow on his throwing arm -- leftover ailments from the Colts' loss to the Houston Texans last weekend in which he was sacked just once but hit on more than a dozen occasions.
"I didn't feel as good after that game as you would like," Luck said Wednesday. "December football. Nobody feels like they want to at this point. You just make sure you are ready to go on Sunday."
Bradford will also be ready to go on Sunday and practiced Wednesday but was limited by a sore shoulder. But for the Vikings, Wednesday was more about one player that was back at practice and less about those that are missing.
Star running back Adrian Peterson, who has been out with a knee injury since the third quarter of Minnesota's Week 2 win over Green Bay, practiced with the team and offered an immediate emotional lift.
In an interview with Dash radio on Friday afternoon, Peterson insisted he would play against the Colts.
"I'm gonna give you the inside (scoop)," Peterson told interviewer DJ Skee. "... I'm gonna go ahead and go this week. I'm getting back out there this week."
The Vikings would have to make a roster move to activate Peterson and hadn't done so as of mid-Friday afternoon. Coach Mike Zimmer said earlier Friday that no decision had been made.
"It was great to see him out here in the walk-through today," Bradford said after Peterson returned to practice. "I think he's just one of those guys, he has been a leader on this team. Obviously, he's one of the best players in this league, and he has been for quite some time. So I think just having him back out at practice in the huddle, I think it's a definite lift to our guys."
The possible re-emergence of Minnesota's running game could hardly come at a better time for the Vikings, who won in Jacksonville last weekend despite getting stuffed on the goal line twice and ending up with zero points in two trips to the 1-yard line.
Defensive-minded Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said he's just as focused on stopping the Colts' running game and speed at receiver.
"They have the eighth-best rusher in NFL history. So that's kind of a challenge. Frank Gore is a terrific back," Zimmer said. "They've got tremendous skill, speed with (Donte) Moncrief and (T.Y.) Hilton obviously. They've got great speed.
"They've got two decent tight ends. One's a second-leading receiver (Jack Doyle) and defensively the 3-4 stuff. We've been in a little bit of a 4-3 mode the last couple of weeks. So we've got to get back to the 3-4 and the things we do there and changing some of that up."
Sitting third in the AFC South behind Houston and Tennessee, Indianapolis is in must-win mode and could be eliminated Sunday if it loses and the Texans and Titans both win. The Colts have won their last three road games but know a unique challenge awaits inside Minnesota's new stadium, which is notoriously noisy.
"We've got to go on the road in a hostile environment, in a new venue," Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. "We understand the elements and the noise and all that other stuff that we have to deal with, that our offense has to deal with. We're trying to do the best we can to replicate that and put them under as much duress as we can."
The Vikings, who started 5-0 and have gone just 2-6 since then, cannot be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday but would face long, long odds with a loss. They close the season with divisional games at Green Bay on Christmas Eve and at home against Chicago on New Year's Day.
INDIANAPOLIS (6-7) at MINNESOTA (7-6)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
OPENING LINE -- Vikings by 4
RECORD VS. SPREAD -- Indianapolis 6-6-1, Minnesota 8-5
SERIES RECORD -- Colts lead 16-7-1
LAST MEETING -- Colts beat Vikings 23-20, Sept. 6, 2012
LAST WEEK -- Colts lost to Texans 22-17; Vikings beat Jaguars 25-16
AP PRO32 RANKING --Colts No. 19, Vikings No. 16
COLTS OFFENSE -- OVERALL (14), RUSH (24), PASS (9)
COLTS DEFENSE -- OVERALL (29), RUSH (24), PASS (26)
VIKINGS OFFENSE -- OVERALL (31), RUSH (32), PASS (24)
VIKINGS DEFENSE -- OVERALL (2), RUSH (16), PASS (3)
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES -- Colts finish season at Oakland and home against Jacksonville and face uphill climb to make playoffs after losing home game to division rival Houston last week. Indianapolis trails Texans and Titans in AFC South. ... Colts RB Frank Gore needs 77 yards from scrimmage to pass Tony Dorsett for 10th on NFL's career list. ... QB Andrew Luck is second on team in rushing with 304 yards, just 84 yards fewer than Vikings leading rusher Jerick McKinnon. ... Luck did not practice Wednesday because of sore shoulder but said he expects to play Sunday. ... Colts WR T.Y. Hilton is tied for NFL lead with 12 receptions of 25 yards or more. ... Vikings RB Adrian Peterson returned to practice this week after missing 11 games with torn meniscus in right knee. He has targeted Dec. 24 against Green Bay for return, but coach Mike Zimmer wouldn't rule out this week. ... Vikings QB Sam Bradford has six games with passer rating over 100 this season, career high. ... Vikings DEs Danielle Hunter (10), Everson Griffen (8.0) and Brian Robison (7.0) have combined for 25 sacks, most among any DE group in NFL. ... Stefon Diggs needs 139 yards to become first Vikings WR to have 1,000 in season since Sidney Rice in 2009. ... Vikings are one of only three teams (Arizona, Houston) that has not allowed 300-yard passer this season. ... After Colts, Vikings play at Green Bay and home against Chicago and figure they need to win all three games to make playoffs. ... Fantasy Tip: Colts have issues protecting Luck, so Vikings defense could be good choice and get several sacks.
