Adrian Peterson Tops Jim Brown, Marshall Faulk on Rushing List, Scores 100th TD

Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson passed a pair of legends after rushing for 53 yards in the first half Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

By doing so, Peterson moved up to 10th on the NFL's all-time rushing list, passing Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk and Jim Brown. Peterson had 12,329 rushing yards for his career at the time of publication, while Faulk and Brown retired with 12,279 and 12,312 yards, respectively.

His rushing touchdown in the second quarter was also the 100th of his career, making him one of nine players to reach the benchmark.

Sunday's achievement adds to an already Hall of Fame-worthy resume for Peterson. The seven-time Pro Bowler is a lock for enshrinement in Canton, Ohio, and as evidence of that, look no further than the fact that the eight retired running backs ahead of him in career rushing yards have their busts displayed in the Hall of Fame.

NFL Media's Gil Brandt argued Peterson should be in on the first ballot:

"After all, Hall of Famers [Barry] Sanders, Brown and [Walter] Payton are the only other backs to ever rush for 150-plus yards in 19-plus games. His placement on the all-time rushing lists might be a bit higher if he'd stayed healthy and on the field more, but you just cannot ignore the kind of production he put up with the Vikings, often serving as that team's only offensive weapon during his time there. He's also just one of seven players in the 2,000-yard club—four of whom are in Canton."

Peterson hasn't been immune to the aging curve, and a torn meniscus in September 2016 accelerated his decline.

He led the league in rushing (1,485 yards) and rushing touchdowns (11) in 2015 before the knee injury limited him to three appearances in 2016.

The New Orleans Saints signed him ahead of the 2017 campaign but used him sparingly to open the year and subsequently released him after four games. Peterson had 448 yards and two touchdowns in his final six games with the Arizona Cardinals.

Despite the questions over whether he can still be a featured back in the NFL, Washington took a relatively big bet on him. While his 2018 salary ($1.015 million) doesn't represent a significant investment, Peterson occupies a big role in the offense as the No. 1 option on the ground.

Peterson turned 33 in March, so he's no longer capable of being the running back who eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards and was the NFL MVP in 2012. As long as he's a slightly better version of the player who averaged 3.5 yards per carry in Arizona, signing Peterson will have been a shrewd move for Washington.