The Detroit Lions took a chance by bringing aboard legendary RB Adrian Peterson prior to the start of the 2020 season after his release from the Washington Football Team.
He looked every bit like his old self during Detroit’s Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears, racking up 93 yards on 14 carries; he totaled 114 yards with an additional three catches. However, he didn’t see the field as much this past Sunday, playing just 15 snaps against the Packers which matched his season low from 2019.
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Though he’s given Detroit’s ground game a shot in the arm, the team remains winless as they head to the desert for a Week 3 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday.
So is the inconsistent time on the field through two weeks an issue for him? According to Peterson, not at all.
“It’s not tough at all,” Peterson said when asked if it’s difficult to establish a rhythm with inconsistent playing time. “You kind of flash back to that (Green Bay) game, I want to say was either late third quarter or fourth quarter, I was kind of on the sideline for a good period of time. And a third-and-1 came up and my number was called. I went in there and picked up 6 yards. I’m a vet. I know how the situation is working out right now. For me, it is what it is.”
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“If it is four carries, I’m gonna take advantage of those four carries. If it’s four snaps, I’m going to take advantage of those four snaps, you know? All I can do is control what I can control and that’s making sure that I’m prepared and ready to help this offense be productive when I’m out there.”
Peterson has full confidence in his teammates as they prepare for the Cardinals:
“It won’t be hard (to establish the run against Arizona) if the guys up front do their job and we have confidence in our guys,” Peterson said. “They have showed, two weeks in a row, they can hold the line of scrimmage, they can dominate up front. The offensive line is not the issue, at all.”
And being the veteran that he is, Peterson knows full well that all it takes to help turn a season around is a victory – and there’s plenty of games left to do so.
“Taking it was two divisional games, that really sucks and put us in a hole,” Peterson said. “But the good thing is we see those guys again, you know, and we can even the series 1-1. That’s something, not looking ahead, but that’s just something to keep in mind. It’s a long season. There are 14 more games out there. We’ll just say we’re going to go 14-2.”
– – Quotes via Justin Rogers of The Detroit News Link – –
