The Chicago Bears have had a tough time with Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson since he came into the league in 2007.
The last time the Vikings beat the Bears in Chicago was in Peterson’s debut on October 14, 2007. He had 224 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries in the Vikings 34-31 win at Soldier Field that day.
In eight career games against the Bears, Peterson has 823 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
The Bears’ defense has kept him under 100 yards in his past four games against them. He has 90 yards and one touchdown in his past two games against them.
But he has been a beast this season.
He currently leads the NFL with 1,128 yards this season. His average of 112.8 yards per game puts him at the top of that category.
He has played five games with a sore left ankle and has rushed for more than 123 yards in four of those games with five touchdown runs.
The guy is just 11 months removed from tearing his ACL and MCL in his left knee and he’s arguably more powerful than ever.
The Vikings’ offense ranks third in the league with 150.5 yards per game, while rushing for an average of 5.2 yards per carry and 28.8 attempts per game.
The Bears’ defense ranks eight in the league in allowing 95.2 yards per game, while allowing an average 4.2 yards per carry and 22.7 attempts per game.
At 6-4, the Vikings are coming into this game with a mindset on earning their seventh win. They will likely be without wide receiver Percy Harvin (ankle), so they will be relying on the ground game plenty.
It will be a tough task for the Bears’ defense to shut down Adrian Peterson on Sunday, but they will have to contain him if they want to earn their eighth win of the season.
The Bears have been successful in bouncing back after big losses. They’ve gone 5-1 since 2008 after losing a game by 21 or more points.
It should be an interesting between two very good NFC North teams on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Adrian Peterson is always an impressive runner to watch. It’s a big matchup for the Bears’ defense. It should be viewed as a must win for both teams.
Here’s to hoping the Bears can contain Peterson enough to come up with a big victory.
Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.
