GREEN BAY, Wis. — Pure Peterson. Truly special. You can't be serious.
Those were the thoughts circling Lambeau Field late in the first half Sunday.
Vikings star Adrian Peterson was in the south end zone hosting yet another energized party an instant after taking a handoff from Christian Ponder deep inside Vikings territory and delivering his best home run cut.
First, Peterson beat linebacker A.J. Hawk to the edge. Then he slipped an ankle tackle from Morgan Burnett. From there, he knifed between M.D. Jennings and Tramon Williams, barely felt Mike Neal's diving tackle attempt and out-sprinted Casey Hayward to the end zone.
Eighty-two yards. Brilliance.
Just like that, the Vikings had a 14-10 lead over Green Bay, getting exactly the kind of big play needed to spark a road upset.
But hours later, Sunday's final score provided a 23-14 defeat, the torpedo that will likely sink the playoff ship.
Somehow, the Vikings couldn't find safety Sunday, even on a day in which Peterson registered his third career 200-yard rushing day, amassing 210 yards on 21 carries. Even on a day in which Peterson uncorked the longest run of his career - that impressive 82-yarder.
You just don't see this kind of thing often, this MVP-caliber brilliance coupled with the haphazard manner in which the Vikings have squandered it.
“It's very disappointing,” Peterson said. “Especially when we run the ball like we did today. And you just look at it and say, ‘It was all for nothing.'”
The unraveling again traces back to a young quarterback and a flat-lining passing attack that's proven hard to revive.
Over the past six games, Peterson has rushed for 947 yards, scored six touchdowns and averaged 7.8 yards per carry. Yet over that same time, Ponder has thrown for just 871 yards with a 5.0 yards per attempt average.
It doesn't add up.
Said coach Leslie Frazier: “Just so disappointed that we couldn't win this game when (Adrian) had such a great day, in this environment. You want to see him celebrate. But it's so hard to celebrate after today's loss.”
On Sunday, Ponder's two interceptions poisoned Peterson's punch.
The first came on the opening series of the second half, two snaps after Peterson's 48-yard run ushered the Vikings inside the Green Bay 12.
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