Brett Favre May Sit Sunday for Minnesota Vikings: Will Adrian Peterson Benefit?

Well the inevitable became reality today when it was revealed that Brett Favre was diagnosed with two fractures in his ankle—ya know, the one that was “surgically repaired?” But with this news comes a new round of possibilities, and Adrian Peterson seemingly stands to benefit the most.

The injury shouldn’t be that much of a surprise though, when you have a 41-year-old quarterback being held together with a rubber band, some Gorilla glue, and an eco-friendly bandaid. But what has been a surprise is the way this staff has been under-utilizing their star running back Adrian Peterson.

Even in Sunday night’s game, there were several curious instances where Adrian Peterson was on the sideline on third and fourth down in favor of Toby Gerhart; a move that Chilly apparently “planned on” in some situations.

Well, with Brett Favre likely to miss this week’s game, I think it’s pretty evident Chilly needs a new plan if the Vikings are to keep the good fight going.

Look, this guy has dramatically improved in the passing game and as a blocker, and he still averages over a hundred yards a game on the ground.

But he has yet to break 30 touches a game, and he has two curious games to his credit where he never touched the ball more than 19 times.

All that could change this week, and we thank that ankle of Mr. Favre.

Tavaris Jackson will inevitably get the nod, but has never really shown himself to be a quality backup, and the name of the game going forward could be conservative play; something which bodes well for an explosive runner who is difficult to stop.

The Patriots are a better team against the run than they are against the pass, but you have to imagine they will be focused on their old receiver Randy Moss—more cause for a heavy run approach.

And let’s not forget that guy Tom Brady is a pretty damn good quarterback, so the first thing the Vikings could consider is keeping Brady off the field.

Now how would you be able to do that? Ah, yes, by featuring the ground game!

In the grand scheme of things, the Vikings didn’t need to run all that much—or at least they thought they didn’t with Favre back there—but now may lean on their potent ground game out of necessity, and that could be a dream come for Adrian Peterson.

And for Vikings fans, Brett Favre sitting, and Peterson running all day could be just the formula they’ve been waiting for.