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NFL Minnesota Vikings

Running Game Key To Minnesota Vikings’ Week 12 Win

David Banks/Getty Images

David Banks/Getty Images

Now that star running Adrian Peterson is done for the rest of the season with the suspension, it is now the Jerick McKinnon show for the Minnesota Vikings. The third-round pick out of Georgia Southern has been a fun player to watch in just a small sample size for the Vikings. Going forward, the good news is that if the Vikings have to bite the bullet and cut Peterson, they have a guy who is capable of being the starting running back in house.

Over the past few weeks, Vikings fans have seen McKinnon surpass veteran Matt Asiata on the depth chart, thus showing their faith in the rookie tailback. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner has had his work cut out for him this season, considering two of the most important positions on the offense are both rookies. Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback and McKinnon at running back have kept Turner from expanding his playbook because of the learning curves. In the future, however, the combination of Bridgewater and McKinnon will be one to be reckoned with.

In Week 12, the Vikings will host the red-hot Green Bay Packers, who will be looking to get a win and be in first place with the Detroit Lions. Although the Packers have steamrolled teams in the past few weeks, it should be noted that neither one of those teams set the tone early. If the Vikings can establish the run in this game, Minnesota could surprise some people. While the Vikings will be heavy underdogs in this game, this is the week for McKinnon to break out and show the league that he is special.

Ryan Ratty is a featured writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanRattyNFL or add him to your network on Google.

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