Adrian Peterson not seen at Vikings’ practice on Wednesday

After returning to action in Week 15, the status of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson for Week 16 may be in doubt.

The Minnesota Vikings’ playoff chances took a serious hit with last Sunday’s 34-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and running back Adrian Peterson finished with just 22 yards on six carries in his return to action after surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

Peterson previously asserted he would play if the Vikings had a chance to make the playoffs, which was not unexpected. But even after the Week 15 loss to the Colts and diminished playoff odds, Peterson was still expected to play against the Green Bay Packers in Week 16.

Based on Wednesday’s news, some doubt about Peterson’s status for Saturday’s game may come.

Missing the media portion of a Wednesday practice does not necessarily mean much. But it does point to Peterson dealing with some lingering soreness in his right knee, three days after playing in a game for the first time in over three months.

Vikings’ head coach Mike Zimmer was asked about Peterson before Wednesday’s practice. He was not asked if Peterson would practice, and also gave no hints about a lack of practice participation for the future Hall of Famer.

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Based on what he’s done in three games this season, averaging just 1.9 yards per carry, Peterson is unlikely to be a big factor against the Packers even if he does play. The best course of action for Peterson and the Vikings may be to hold him out of the final two games of the season, regardless of his health, and that clearly has to be on the table if he’s having any lingering issues with his surgically-repaired knee.