Entering the 2018 season, it was hard to imagine running back Adrian Peterson outperforming himself from years past.
And yet, as the lead back in the Redskins offense, Peterson finished this year's campaign with his eighth-career 1,000 yard season, totaling 1,042 yards on the ground while adding seven touchdowns. After appearing in every game, Peterson led by example every down he played, making him this year's KIA MVP of the Season.
After scoring his 100th career touchdown week 1 at Arizona, Peterson used 2018 to prove age is just a number. Against the Cardinals, he also added 20 catches for 208 yards and a touchdown. Peterson totaled 251 attempts on the ground while averaging 4.2 yards per carry and helped lead a Redskins offense to seventh in the league in third-and-short conversions (75.0%).
Peterson was awarded the FedEx Ground player of the week award after rushing for 120 yards on 19 carries while adding two touchdowns in the Redskins first home victory of the season week 3 against Green Bay. As the Redskins traveled to the Meadowlands to face the Giants Week 8, Peterson enjoyed a vintage breakout performance. He finished the game with 149 yards on a season-high 26 carries, including a 64 yard touchdown run to seal the win. Peterson went on to score two touchdowns in Week 11 against Houston passing Hall of Famer, and Redskins legend John Riggins for No. 6 on the NFL's all-time list.
In Week 13 against the Eagles, Peterson broke a 90-yard touchdown run, ranking as the longest run from scrimmage in his career and in Redskins history. Peterson also went on to pass Barry Sanders for the most 50-plus yard rushing touchdowns in NFL history.
Peterson finished the 2018 season eighth in the NFL in all-time rushing yards (13,318), fourth all-time in rushing yards per game (89.4), and tied for first all-time in most games rushing for 200 or more yards.
As Peterson looks to 2019 to produce even more, head coach Jay Gruden lists his year with Adrian as being one of the most memorable in his NFL tenure.
"Being able to coach a guy like Adrian Peterson- a Hall of Fame guy- was actually one of the highest points in my career personally," Gruden said.
