For the second straight day, Vikings RB Adrian Peterson has missed practice. The team excused Peterson for personal reasons but did say that he would be traveling with the team to Kansas City this weekend.
In addition to missing practice, Peterson has been noticeably absent from the Vikings’ first two preseason games. No one really knows why except that head coach, Mike Zimmer, has casually dropped hints that he didn’t feel it was necessary to play Peterson in the preseason. Instead, backup Mike Asiata has been getting more play time and exposure.
Peterson is a very physical runner. It wouldn’t be surprising if the coaching staff is noticing his body starting to break down and trying to preserve his body for the regular season. The only problem with this is that missing reps in the preseason can lead to players being behind once the regular season begins. On the other hand, Peterson is a veteran, so he should be able to catch up quickly. Peterson could also be missing practices for legitimate personal reasons, but you always have to be mindful when a veteran player who has experienced a catastrophic injury like he has starts missing practice time without an explanation.
[h/t Bleacher Report]