Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will not practice this afternoon as he continues to deal with some tenderness in his left ankle. Peterson hurt the ankle early during the Vikings' Week 5 game with Tennessee and is still dealing with some soreness, particularly after a 24-touch, 129-yard day in Sunday's loss at Washington.
That said, coach Leslie Frazier said resting Peterson today was simply a precaution.
"He'll be fine for Sunday," Frazier said.
As for the Vikings' other injured starter? Receiver Jerome Simpson's status for this week is still a bit iffy with Frazier wanting to see how Simpson progresses through the week of practice. Simpson again expressed his agitation Wednesday at being declared inactive for Sunday's game with the Redskins. Now the plan is to get him back to full strength for this week's game with Arizona.
The Vikings will continue to monitor Simpson's health. He has a back issue that surfaced Oct. 7 which caused tightness and numbness in his leg.
Said Frazier: "He's a competitor. He's a guy who wants to be out there. We want him out there as well. He feels like he'll be ready to go this afternoon. We're looking forward to getting him out there, getting him back and involved in our offense. He's a weapon that we'd sorely love to have on the field. He has big play capabilities. And we want to use his abilities."
As for Frazier's latest explanation for why Simpson sat Sunday?
"Last Thursday and Friday when he worked, and even in talking with him, we realized he couldn't push off the way he wanted to," Frazier said. "[He] wasn't comfortable mentally, completely with where he was. And the way he plays, he's an energetic guy who has such a passion for the game, if you take some of that away, some of his elusiveness, even after the catch, you've affected his game. I just wanted to be smart, give him a little more time. It's a long season.
