Adrian Peterson opts for surgery on torn meniscus

ESPN’s Ed Werder is reporting that Adrian Peterson is unlikely to play Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings visit the high-powered Carolina Panthers.

Peterson reportedly told Anderson the surgery to fix his meniscus will take place sometime Thursday, and that he is heading into it with “faith and optimism”. The operation is expected to happen on Thursday.

According to ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling (h/t ABC7.com), Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer revealed Monday that Peterson had torn his meniscus, and while Zimmer initially didn’t rule out Peterson playing in Week 3, Josina Anderson’s report suggests he could potentially miss the remainder of the 2016 season.

The timetable for Adrian Peterson’s return from a torn meniscus will depend on the severity of the injury and how the doctors choose to treat it.

“Everything is possible”, Zimmer said.

The Vikings have signed former Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman to fill the void left by Peterson’s absence, and he will take Kalil’s place on the team’s 53-man roster.

The club placed left tackle Matt Kalil on injured reserve.

Whenever Peterson returns, he’ll surely have extra motivation to prove that he’s still one of the best running backs in the league – and that his subpar performances in the first two weeks of the season were aberrations. During that season, running back Matt Asiata led the Vikings with 570 rushing yards, but Jerick McKinnon averaged a higher 4.8 YPC compared to Asiata’s 3.5. Kalil started both games thus far, but a nagging hip injury persists. “It should be a quick turnaround, and I’m ready to get going”.

“They’re resilient. They’re tough. Try, like I’ve said before, to find a way”.