Everson Griffen, Adrian Peterson Have Quiet Days in Return to Minnesota
Former Vikings greats Adrian Peterson and Everson Griffen returned to Minnesota hoping to stick it to their old team, but neither veteran made much of an impact on the field as their new team, the Lions, wound up on the receiving end of a blowout on Sunday. Regardless, both players were all smiles after the game as they caught up with former teammates and soaked in the moment.
It was an important day for Griffen for a number of reasons. After starting this season with the Cowboys, this was his Lions debut and he wanted to make a strong first impression. It was his 31st career game at U.S. Bank Stadium but his first time ever playing against the Vikings, the team that drafted him in 2010 and employed him for a decade. And he manufactured a little extra juice during the week leading up to the game by taking offense to Mike Zimmer calling him a "good player."
Griffen was his typical fired-up self from the outset. He was yelling at the Vikings sideline prior to the game and spent much of the afternoon pacing the Detroit sideline, offering encouragement to his Lions teammates and chirping at his old friends wearing purple.
"I love Everson," Kirk Cousins said. "The best part was when we all took the field and there was a moment when there was quiet and you hear his voice from the other sideline saying ‘Some music would be nice!’ He brought that juice for the Vikings for a decade. He was going to be the same guy today just for a different team wearing different colors."
Griffen wasn't out on the field with the Lions' starting defense, but he got his chance to come in the game late in the Vikings' second drive. He fought off a block from Kyle Rudolph, who took over his mantle as the team's longest-tenured player this season, and tackled Dalvin Cook after a five-yard gain. After making the play, Griffen and Cook exchanged plenty of good-natured trash talk as they walked back to their respective huddles.
"We heard Griff the first play he came in on the field," Cook said. "We was in a goal line in the strike zone and he came on the field letting us know he was coming on the field, (saying) “Here I go! I’m back!” That’s fun, man. Griff still being him, still enjoying the game, that’s most important. Outside of this thing, off the field, that’s still my brother. I’m just happy he’s good mentally and enjoying the game."
That tackle was one of three on the day for Griffen, who also deflected a pass to stall a Vikings drive in the second quarter – a play that was followed, of course, by plenty of yelling. He played as hard as he always does, but had a limited role and minimal influence on the outcome.
For Peterson, this was his third trip back to Minneapolis since he and the Vikings parted ways ahead of the 2017 season. He barely played in the first game of that '17 season as a member of the Saints, notably getting caught on camera barking at Sean Payton on the sidelines. Peterson only lasted a handful of games in New Orleans before being traded to the Cardinals.
It wasn't until last October that Peterson truly got to have a special moment back in Minneapolis. He went over 100 yards from scrimmage in Washington's loss to the Vikings and received a standing ovation from the local crowd after moving into sixth on the NFL's all-time rushing list. It was an emotional night, one that Peterson recently said would never be topped.
The Vikings' all-time leading rusher mentioned last week that he was 0-2 against his old team and wanted to change that. However, he fell to 0-3 and wasn't able to do much with the ball in his hands on Sunday. Peterson carried it eight times for 29 yards and caught three of five targets for 14 yards. The 35-year-old future Hall of Famer looked much less explosive than his rookie teammate D'Andre Swift, who racked up 97 yards on 16 touches.
Still, it was another opportunity for Peterson to catch up with former teammates and coaches in a city he called home for a decade. The past and the present of the Vikings running back position were on full display, as Cook put together a Peterson-esque performance with 252 total yards and two touchdowns. Afterwards, the two shared a moment.
"I can’t say enough about him," Cook said. "We can sit here and I can tell you so much about him, how I feel about him. I’m just glad that I got a chance to watch him growing up as a young kid. To see that, it was something special for me. He don’t know how he impacted my career as far as a running back. I appreciate him for everything. Just for being my big brother for anything. All Day, just keep doing you, man, and I appreciate it.”
It was a gratifying experience for both Griffen and Peterson, but they'll be looking to get in the win column against the Vikings when the two teams meet again in Detroit in Week 17.
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