Adrian Peterson injury update: Torn meniscus

Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson has reportedly torn the meniscus in his right knee. How long does this keep the Vikings tailback out?

The Minnesota Vikings had to deal with yet another injury in the 2016 NFL season, as star running back Adrian Peterson hurt his knee in the Vikings’ Sunday Night Football victory over the Green Bay Packers, 17-14.

After he was seen being carried through a restaurant into the Vikings locker room at brand-new US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, fans were left to wonder about the extent of Peterson’s injury.

On Monday afternoon, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer told KFAN FM 100.3’s Dan Barreiro that Peterson “has a torn meniscus.” Zimmer doesn’t know the timetable for Peterson’s knee injury, but hasn’t ruled him out for Sunday’s road game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte.

Zimmer’s decision to keep Peterson’s return date from this knee injury close to the chest doesn’t come as a surprise. The Vikings head coach didn’t announce that quarterback Shaun Hill would get the Week 1 start against the Tennessee Titans until shortly before kickoff in Nashville. He did essentially the same thing before Sam Bradford took the reigns on Sunday night at home against the Packers.

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Going forward, the Vikings do have two capable running backs already on their roster in Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon. Asiata would presumably take over as the featured back in Minnesota should Peterson be unable to go on Sunday. McKinnon has proven to be an effective change-of-pace back in the NFL after being a triple option quarterback in college while at Georgia Southern.