EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Jasper Brinkley played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2009-12, and again in 2014. Among his many close friends from his time purple is Adrian Peterson, who will be one of the guests at Brinkley’s wedding this coming offseason.
But for three hours on Sunday night, the bonds between Brinkley and Peterson will grow as cold as the anticipated single-digit temperature in TCF Bank Stadium, where the Giants and Vikings will square off. As the visitor’s middle linebacker, Brinkley’s most important job will be trying to stop Peterson, the NFL’s leading rusher and arguably its finest running back.