Do you consider Adrian Peterson a top-three running back? I don’t. Not anymore.
I understand defenses are stacked a mile high to key on Peterson given the Vikings quarterback situation. But watching Peterson try to run against the Titans last Sunday was not a pleasant experience.
At 31, Peterson still is above average. But his days of being great appear over. The eye test and statistics back this up.
Peterson has rushed for 76 yards on 42 carries in his last two games. That’s an average of 1.8 yards per carry. Here’s a bigger sampling: Peterson is averaging 66.7 rushing yards and 3.4 yards per carry during his last nine games. Contrast this with his lifetime average of 96.7 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry.
The decline is steep.
