Nov 12, 2007 4:30 pm US/Eastern
Childress: Peterson's Injury Not Season-Ending
Vikings Running Back Will Miss Sunday's Game With Torn Right LCL
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (CBS) ―
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unning back Adrian Peterson, Minnesota's rookie sensation, tore a knee ligament in the Vikings' game in Green Bay on Nov. 11.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will miss Sunday's game against Oakland with a torn ligament in his right knee.
Coach Brad Childress said Monday that Peterson tore his lateral collateral ligament in the Vikings' 34-0 loss to Green Bay. Peterson will not require surgery, Childress said.
"The good news is that the knee is otherwise stable and the injury is isolated to that ligament," Childress said. "I'm told that's a good healing ligament."
Childress said this is not a season-ending injury, but he did not talk about when Peterson might be back.
"I'm real hesitant to put a timeline on that thing," Childress said.
Peterson was hurt just a week after he set an NFL single-game rushing record with 296 yards in a victory over San Diego.
Team doctors told Children that with ligament tears graded on a three-point scale, with three being the worst, Peterson's tear is "two-plus." It's as serious as an anterior cruciate ligament tear, which would have required surgery and ended Peterson's brilliant rookie season.
"This is not one of those," Childress said.
Peterson was injured in the third quarter Sunday. Packers cornerback Al Harris hit him in the knee just as Peterson was about to make a cut downfield, and the star rookie writhed in pain for several minutes in a scary scene.
Losing the only offensive star it has will be a devastating blow to a unit that has struggled in every game Peterson has not topped 200 yards rushing this season. It's been a one-man show in Minnesota, with Peterson accounting for 1,081 of the team's 1,551 yards rushing and eight of the team's 10 touchdowns rushing.
The No. 7 overall draft pick out of Oklahoma broke the single-game rushing record two weeks ago against San Diego, racking up 296 yards to put him on pace to smash Eric Dickerson's record for yards rushing by a rookie in a single season.
Now the Vikings will turn to veteran Chester Taylor, who topped 1,200 yards rushing last season and has been solid in spot duty behind Peterson this year. Taylor is averaging 5 yards per carry in a backup role.
The 3-6 Vikings are in last place in the NFC North. They face Oakland at home on Sunday, then will play the Giants in New York in Week 12 and host the Lions in Week 13.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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