It was quite a weekend for Minnesota sports fans, a weekend made possible by perhaps the two most popular athletes in the Twin Cities these days.One captivated because of accomplishment, the other because of promise. Both exceeded expectations while coming off of major knee surgery.Adrian Peterson rushed for 212 yards, moving him within reasonable striking distance of Eric Dickerson's rushing record of 2,105.Ricky Rubio returned to Target Center and made the kind of deft, heady plays that have made him a national phenomenon.That's not an exaggeration. When you talk to national NBA writers and talk to people around the country, they find Rubio more interesting than any Wolves player since Kevin Garnett was a teenager.Both have a chance, in the season following ACL surgery, to lead their teams to the playoffs. And both teams currently hold the sixth seed in their respective conferences.We tend to speak of the local sports scene as if it's one big organism, when actually it's a collection of independent businesses. But if we want to toss all of local sports into the same category, things are looking up.The Vikings have a chance to go to the playoffs in what I thought would be a rebuilding year.The Wolves have a chance to go to the playoffs despite a stunning array of injuries and a recent history of awful personnel moves.The Twins are building a future winner and could, with one more veteran pitcher, be more competitive this season.The Wild will play again…someday.The Gopher basketball team is the best of Tubby Smith's tenure.And Gopher football is in a bowl game, which, while it doesn't impress me, is better than the alternative.Other than Peterson's long runs, the most interesting play of the Vikings' victory, to me, was Everson Griffen's interception return for a touchdown.On the play, Chad Greenway faked a blitz from the left side of the defensive line. At the snap, he sprinted to the right flat to cover. Griffen dropped from defensive end into coverage as safety Harrison Smith dropped deep. Bradford saw Griffen but thought he could get the ball past him.Griffen was an outstanding high school running back. He's a remarkable athlete. Once the ball was in the air, the Rams were in trouble. Griffen intercepted and scooted down the right sideline to the end zone, shaking off a tackler.Greenway put his hand in the air, the touchdown, when Griffen was still 20 yards from the end zone. Griffen's teammates know how talented he is.Tampa-2 defenses are known for predictability. That play was the latest example of Leslie Frazier and Alan Williams' ability to mix up coverages and looks this year. And it was the latest of Griffen's plays that justified the team's patience with him when he was known for throwing wild parties and underachieving.Another fascinating week awaits.The Wolves face Miami and Oklahoma City. The Vikings travel to Houston to face the Texans, who allowed 105 yards to Colts running back Vick Ballard on Sunday.I'll be on 1500espn today, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 2:05 p.m., and on WJON in St. Cloud at 7:15 each morning to talk sports. You can follow me on Twitter at @Souhanstrib.