The Texans can clinch the top seed in the AFC with a win over Minnesota on Sunday, but to do so, they will have to slow Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, who is squarely in the MVP discussion.
Peterson has rushed for an NFL-leading 1,812 yards and also leads the league with 20 runs of 20 yards or more. He is 293 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record, which he set playing for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
“He’s playing like an animal,” Texans OLB Connor Barwin said of Peterson. “He’ll be the best running back that we have faced all year. He’s hard to bring down. And when he gets in the open field, he is running by everybody.”
When Peterson takes the field Sunday, he will be 365 days removed from tearing his ACL and MCL in Washington on Dec. 24 last season, making his accomplishments this year even more remarkable.
He has really taken off in the past eight games, averaging 164.1 rushing yards per game. Peterson’s 1,313 yards are the most ever in an eight-game stretch in the NFL. He is coming off a season-high 212 yards against the Rams last week.
“The biggest thing is you can look at how everybody’s played them,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “Everybody’s got eight people, nine people in the box. If there’s somebody extra there, he makes them miss, runs over them, whatever. From that standpoint, it has been very impressive.”
The Texans are fifth in the league, giving up 93.2 rushing yards per game, and they lead the league with just three rushing touchdowns allowed all season. Houston has allowed just two players -- Titans RB Chris Johnson and Colts RB Vick Ballard -- to top the 100-yard mark.
Peterson needs to average 147 yards per game in the final two weeks to break Dickerson’s record. The Texans have not allowed a player to rush for more than 150 yards since Nov. 23, 2009 when Johnson did it for Tennessee.
“The most important thing for us is certainly try to slow him down,” Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said. “But also, like any big-time player, whether it’s football or basketball, they may get their yards, but you need to win the game. That’s the most important thing for us.”
Quick Hits
- CB Alan Ball (foot) was the only player who did not practice Thursday. OLB Brooks Reed (groin) was limited for the second day in a row, but he looks like he’ll be able to play Sunday. “All indications are he’ll be okay as long as he makes it through the week and should be ready to go,” Kubiak said.
- Rookie WR DeVier Posey has come on of late, catching four passes for 65 yards in the last two weeks. He did not have a reception in the team’s first 12 games. “I think over the course of the last month, I just think the lights kind of went on for DeVier,” Kubiak said. “He doesn’t have to work so hard when we put in game plans and new stuff comes his way. He understands things, so his talents have really started to take over.”
Follow Texans blogger Sean Bielawski on Twitter, @CBSTexans.