Life comes at you fast, and for Adrian Peterson, Father Time swooped into U.S. Bank Stadium and sent him a rough message. His record for rushing yards in a Vikings rookie debut was broken by the guy on the other side of the field, Dalvin Cook.
Cook, taken in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Vikings, looked just as explosive and comfortable as he did at Florida State en route to rushing for 127 yards on 22 carries.
Peterson's record of 103 yards looked safe as the Vikings were trying to ice out the game, but Cook flashed his trademark speed around the corner on his final run of the night, ripping off a 33-yard run that allowed the Vikings to take knees and end the game. Peterson, taken by the Vikings in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft, ran for 103 yards on 19 carries against the Falcons in his first game back on September 9, 2007.
Just over a decade later, Cook passed that total, piling up his 127 yards in a performance that featured a number of different impressive games from the Vikings offense. Stefon Diggs scored two touchdowns as he put together his best Randy Moss impression, and Sam Bradford was good enough to have Steve Young drop an "elite" bomb on TV after the game. Young isn't wrong; Bradford was dialed in the entire game and made some big boy throws under pressure.
But the real wild thing about Cook breaking the record 10 years later was having Peterson play in his first game not as a Viking and standing on the sideline while Cook ended the game with a big run to top his old mark.
Peterson did not have a great evening, seeing only six carries for 18 yards and not appearing happy about his playing time situation while engaging in some heated looks with Sean Payton on the sideline.
The AP era in New Orleans was supposed to feature him extracting vengeance against his old team for cutting him this offseason. Instead it was just about an awkward nightmare for Peterson and the Saints as they struggled to put together any real semblance of an offensive attack inside the red zone.
