In recent weeks, second-year running back Jerick McKinnon had become an afterthought. Adrian Peterson, one of the league's leading rushers, had been hogging the ball on early downs for the Vikings. And trusty pass blocker Matt Asiata was the one replacing Peterson in longer third-down spots.
But McKinnon was back in the gameplan during Sunday's comeback win.
Against the Lions, McKinnon played a season-high 15 snaps, more than he got in the previous two weeks combined, and was handed a season-high nine carries. He picked up 36 yards on those runs and added a one-yard catch.
Peterson, despite getting ill on Saturday due to either some bad seafood or a swig of tobacco juice, still got the majority of the offensive snaps, playing 44 of 75. Asiata out-snapped McKinnon, 16-15, too. But it was a nice change to see McKinnon, who was impressive as a rookie, have a significant role.
We'll see if McKinnon's snaps are trending upward or if this was simply a byproduct of Peterson, who has played 67.7 percent of the offensive snaps this season, not being at full strength after puking his guts out a day prior.
Here are some other observations from the official NFL snap counts:
— Defensive tackles Linval Joseph and Tom Johnson had a busy afternoon with Sharrif Floyd sidelined due to ankle and knee injuries. They both played 44 of the 54 snaps. That was Joseph's second-highest snap count of the season and the most for Johnson in 2015. The new guy, Kenrick Ellis, played just five snaps a few days after signing with the Vikings.
— Rookie wide receiver Stefon Diggs got his second straight start and played a career-high 60 snaps. Charles Johnson, whom Diggs overtook to earn the starting role, played just nine snaps in his return from a rib injury. Adam Thielen replaced Jarius Wright when the slot receiver suffered a concussion in the third quarter. Thielen played 23 snaps. Wright played 26. Starter Mike Wallace played 56. And Cordarrelle Patterson got four.