The Minnesota Vikings will have veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson back in the lineup for Sunday’s home game against the Packers. The eight-time Pro Bowler was activated off of injured reserve on Saturday, as Peterson will return after missing the past three games with a hamstring injury.
After being designated to return, Peterson practiced on Wednesday for the first time since sustaining the injury. During his time on the sideline, Peterson requested a headset so he could listen to the Vikings’ defensive calls against the Chargers, Ravens and Cowboys. He also stretched with teammates prior to practice during his time on injured reserve.
“It definitely was tough for me,” Peterson said about his time on injured reserve, via the Vikings’ team website. “But the easiest way to not lose focus or not lose engagement was continuing to study as if I was playing and helping the young guys with a couple of nuggets I could give them throughout the week of preparation to help them play a little bit faster to go out there and be successful on the field. It definitely was miserable, something I’ve never had to do before, but thank God it’s over.”
A member of the NFL‘s All-Decade Team for the 2010s, Peterson never missed a game due to injury during his decade in Arizona. During his first six games with the Vikings, Peterson recorded 13 tackles and two passes defensed.
Minnesota went 1-2 in their three games without Peterson in the lineup. The Vikings are coming off of a 27-20 win over the Chargers that saw Mike Zimmer’s defense hold the Chargers’ offense to just 253 total yards. On Sunday, the Vikings will face a Packers offense that put up nearly 400 yards in last week’s 17-0 win over Seattle.
