Adrian Peterson: The all day workhorse
By Scott Allen
Arizona Cardinals running back Adrian Peterson showed on Sunday why he likes being called all day
Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians admitted two weeks ago after their 33-0 loss to the Los Angeles Rams that he abandoned the run too early. He didn’t make the same mistake two games in a row.
On Sunday, Arians gave the ball to Cardinals running back Adrian Peterson. Pretty much everyone knew he would make a concerted effort to give Peterson the ball a lot against the San Francisco 49ers.
It was more than a lot. Peterson carried the ball 37 times. It was the most ever by an NFL running back aged 32 or older. It was also most in Cardinals franchise history. In other words, he was a workhorse.
With those 37 carries came 159-yards. Some of it was thanks to good blocking by the Cardinals offensive line. Other times, Peterson had to create his own magic.
The only disappointment was that Peterson never saw the end zone. On this day though it wasn’t necessary since quarterback Drew Stanton was able to throw two touchdowns.
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Peterson also caught two passes for eight-yards. Don’t be surprised if the Cardinals try to get him the ball more through the air as time carries on.
Of course the Cardinals have Kerwynn Williams and Andre Ellington who can fill those roles out of the backfield as well. However 37 times is a lot for anyone.
He carried the team though and it worked. He might find the sledding a little tougher against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night in Glendale.
We can only hope for some consistency though. The last thing the Cardinals need against a tough defense like the Seahawks is to get frustrated with the running game early and abandon it again.
At this point trust Peterson. He went over 12,000 rushing yards for his career on Sunday. A guy with that kind of production deserves a little more trust. It may also be the only way the Cardinals can get their first victory over the Seahawks in Glendale since 2012.