Redskins’ Adrian Peterson Joins Walter Payton in the NFL Record Books
Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson continues to prove that he’s an ageless wonder despite being in his mid-30s. Peterson has made the most of his opportunity for a career rebirth with the Redskins that has added yet another chapter to his illustrious career that will one day land him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He piled on another impressive career feat during Week 15 action against the Philadelphia Eagles as he put himself alongside Hall of Famer Walter Payton in NFL history.
Adrian Peterson’s second wind with Redskins
Since joining the Redskins, Peterson has put his career back on track, showing that he has plenty of gas left in the tank to play at a high level.
The 34-year-old put together his eighth 1,000 rushing yard campaign in his first year with Washington. He has backed up with yet another highly productive season as he has 784 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns through the first 14 games played. That has presented him the opportunity to notch yet another 1,000 rushing yard season to his resume.
Although injuries had derailed several years of his career, Peterson has bounced back during his time with the Redskins to prove that he can still be a highly effective runner at his age. That has also presented him with the opportunity to add more impressive career feats to his resume, which he added another one this past Sunday.
Adrian Peterson joins Walter Payton
The opportunity to extend his career with Redskins has also opened the door for him to move up in the NFL record books to further cement his legacy.
Peterson did just that during Week 15 action against the Philadelphia Eagles as his incredible 10-yard touchdown tied him with Hall of Famer Walter Payton for the fourth-most rushing touchdowns (110) in league history. He trails just Marcus Allen (123), LaDainian Tomlinson (145) and Emmitt Smith (164) on the all-time list.
That wasn’t it for Peterson as he also moved past Hall of Famer Curtis Martin for fifth on the all-time rushing list. He now only trails Smith, Payton, Frank Gore, and Barry Sanders, which has made just one of three players in the top five on both lists.
Peterson has shown no slowing down by any means at this point in his career with the level of production that he has put forth. All of that means that the former Pro Bowler has much more to add to his resume.
What lies ahead for Adrian Peterson
The Redskins are headed towards wrapping up another season, falling well out of the mix for the playoffs.
Washington may be a team in full rebuild mode, but that hasn’t overshadowed the opportunity for Peterson to add to his career totals. He should be line to move up the all-time rushing attempts list as he’s trailing Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (2,996) by four carries for 10th all-time while he could potentially move as far as eighth all-time where Edgerrin James (3,028) before the end of the regular season.
There is a window for him to surpass Sanders this season, but that will require him to record 167 rushing yards in the final two games to move to fourth all-time. Even if he doesn’t surpass those marks, Peterson will have another shot to do so next year as he’s under contract through the 2020 season.
At this point, he hasn’t seriously entertained the idea of retiring at this point in his career. Peterson is relishing the opportunity to play a significant role in the offense with the Redskins, which will run through at least another year. Until then, he will continue to add to his Hall of Fame resume.
