Following Teddy Bridgewater's injury, the Minnesota Vikings are facing another problem after it was confirmed that Adrian Peterson has torn meniscus in his right knee. However, this doesn't automatically mean that the Vikings will get a replacement running back.
On Monday, after defeating the Green Bay Packers, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer confirmed Peterson's injury. It is not yet clear if he will be able to play with the team when they go up against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
But, as the Vikings have showed over and over again, they are a resilient team. As noted by Football Insiders, they might even do better if Peterson is temporarily not in the active roster.
For instance, in 2014, Peterson was suspended due to a domestic abuse case. As his penalty, he had to miss 15 games. During those times, running backs Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata stepped up to take his place on the field.
The same scenario will most likely happen on Sunday during the Vikings' game against the Panthers. Asiata and McKinnon will interchangeably run the ball for Minnesota and given their individual talents, there's a good chance that the Vikings will dominate the Panthers.
Zimmer even said that he already believes that Asiata and McKinnon will be able to carry the team in Peterson's absence.
"Yeah, I have a lot of confidence in those two guys," he said. "They're both different types of runners but I think the combination of the two can help us."
"So we're going to keep plugging away, and keep to do our very best to try to find a way to win," he added.
Also, with Peterson's absence, Zimmer will most likely employ a more fluid type of offensive plays. Before, many of the team's plays usually revolved around throwing the ball to Peterson. But with him out, the coach could employ dynamic strategies that will explore other options of getting the ball to the endzone.
As noted by safety Harrison Smith, Bridgewater and Peterson's injuries will not hinder the team in winning games.
"I don't want to say you just plug in the next guy, because you don't replace Teddy, you don't replace Adrian," he said. "But you don't want to hang your head and say, ‘here we go again.' You just got to push forward."
