It does not take a great football mind to understand the Vikings are a better team with Adrian Peterson. Although the offense got the job done plenty of times in the 15 games without him last season and rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater eventually made his debut and displayed plenty of promise, the Vikings missed having Peterson toting the rock.
Peterson is back now, and here are seven ways the Vikings instantly improved with his return.
1. Team identity is restored
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and the Vikings have a promising one in Bridgewater, but since 2007 and still today Peterson has been the driving force behind the team’s offense.