Vikings potentially getting a big boost with Adrian Peterson's return to practice

You knew Adrian Peterson would beat the timetable for his return. The Minnesota Vikings and their struggling offense have to be thrilled about it.

Peterson was activated off injured reserve and will practice Wednesday, the team announced.

That doesn’t mean Peterson will play this week, or even next week, but it’s probably best to not doubt him.

Peterson had surgery on a torn meniscus after Week 2 and was put on injured reserve. Without Peterson, the Vikings have had almost no running game. Jerick McKinnon is averaging 3 yards per carry. Matt Asiata is averaging 3.3. The passing game, with no support from the run game, hasn’t been good either. Now the Vikings at least have the hope of adding the 2015 NFL rushing champ back to the lineup.

Despite the offensive problems, the Vikings are in the playoff hunt. Minnesota is 7-6 with games left against the Colts, Packers and Bears. If they can win out, a playoff spot looks likely. But they might need to win out to get there.

All of a sudden, it looks like their future Hall-of-Fame running back might help in that quest.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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