AP Injury Could Set Vikings Back Even Further

When Adrian Peterson went down on Sunday with a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee, his future became extremely murky. Though he is undoubtedly one of the NFL's premier running backs, the injury may have done irreparable damage to his left leg, meaning that even with surgery he may never be the same. 

Peterson should be able to come back from the injury, but rehab will likely take eight to 10 months, meaning that he may not be ready for the start of the 2012 season. Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James suffered a similar injury in 2001 and it took him nine and a half months to return. 

While James was able to regain most of his form after that injury—he topped 1,000 yards each season from 2003 to 2007—he didn't show the same burst he had prior to surgery. To be fair, James also had quarterback Peyton Manning taking the pressure off of him for most of that time.

While Peterson is out, the Vikings will have to build their offense around second-year running back Toby Gerhart. So far this season, the Stanford product has carried the ball 94 times for 464 yards and a touchdown. He also has 22 catches for 187 yards and three more scores. Gerhart's yards per carry average of 4.9 is impressive and has to give Minnesota fans some hope that the Vikings will be able to scrape together some offense in Peterson's absence. 

The thing is, other than Peyton Manning, Peterson was arguably the most important player to his team in the NFL. In his five seasons in the league, Peterson has averaged 4.8 yards per carry and already has scored 64 touchdowns. 

With a young quarterback in Christian Ponder, who hasn't shown much improvement in his first season, Minnesota could be headed for another difficult offseason. At 3-12, the Vikings will be near the top of the 2012 NFL draft, and while they should get some immediate help if they draft well, it may not be enough to stay afloat with Peterson out.

Next season could be a long one as the team's star running back will likely need to be brought along slowly upon his return. Peterson is too important to just rush back into action, but without him things look bleak.