Minnesota Vikings: What Now, Adrian Peterson?

Another Vikings season comes to an end in disappointment, but by now they should be used to it.

Far from the sucker punch loss of 1998 and nowhere near the embarrassment of the 41-0 thrashing the Vikings suffered in 2001, this loss was just like most of the losses during the season. Despite ample chances, the Vikings simply couldn't take hold of the game. The Eagles played well enough to win, and the Vikes simply didn't. This isn't to say they weren't competitive, they certainly were, but a win would have been almost unjustified.

A lot of Jim Johnson's planning went into stopping Adrian Peterson, and they were largely successful. Besides his 40 yard touchdown run, Peterson was held to just 43 yards on 18 carries, caught zero passes, and his first quarter injury limited his effectiveness in the blocking game.

However, Peterson did have that 40 yarder, and another touchdown besides it. He was sure-handed, and forced the Eagles to account for his positioning on every play. Had Tavaris Jackson been more accurate, or the Vikings been able to convert their third-and-shorts, the game would have taken a very different tone, especially the second half.

So, whether Adrian Peterson did all he could do to help the Vikings or not may be a matter of opinion, but what isn't up for debate is that he had a positive impact for the Vikings. Chester Taylor is a great back, but he lacks the breakaway burst that makes defenses game plan around Peterson.

Peterson clearly doesn't need to completely reinvent himself or add a whole new dimension to his game, but if he doesn't improve, the rest of the league will catch up to him.

Neither of the NFC's superstar backs, Michael Turner nor Adrian Peterson, could carry their team past the first round of the playoffs, and both were held in check by softer defenses, so what does that say?

Likely, it's a sign that as long as Peterson continues to improve, he'll remain a feature back for a long time, since he wasn't the only star to struggle.

Solving his late season fumbling issues and improving his pass catching out of the backfield should be high on his offseason to-do list, but Adrian Peterson can surely ignore the many voices this offseason that will scream and shout that he should remake his skills to better fit the mold of other successful backs in the league.