The Vikings' face of the franchise and their franchise quarterback both practiced Friday, albeit on a limited basis that has them listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Detroit.
Running back Adrian Peterson came off the field with a slight limp from the soreness of practicing on consecutive days after missing the past two games because of a high left ankle sprain. Meanwhile, Christian Ponder worked behind Joe Webb in what was Ponder's first practice since suffering a right hip pointer in last week's loss to Denver.
Both players said that taking a pain-killing shot before the game is an option they would embrace. The team might not be willing to go that far, choosing a more conservative approach to protect two of its most important players during what has become a 2-10 season.
Peterson said he's "probably 80 percent" and will be "pushing to play" no matter how he feels when he wakes up Sunday morning. A year ago, he sprained an ankle at Washington and talked the coaches into letting him play the following week against Buffalo in a game-time decision by Frazier in his second game as interim coach. Peterson went on to rush for 106 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries in a Vikings victory.
Frazier said Peterson's input will "make a difference" Sunday but will be weighed against what the team feels is best for Peterson long-term. Frazier wants to see how the ankle responds overnight into Saturday, but the coach was encouraged by what he saw Friday.
"He was able to cut better," Frazier said. "He still has a little bit of a gait when he runs, but he was much better than he was [Thursday]."
Frazier said he wouldn't need to see Peterson work out again before the game to make a decision. That's not the case with Ponder since he's only practiced one day this week. A decision on Ponder might come down to a pregame workout at Ford Field.
Peterson admitted he looks at the traditional statistical benchmarks for running backs as motivation to return as quickly as possible. The five-year veteran needs 128 yards rushing for his fifth 1,000-yard season and 165 to move past Robert Smith's career franchise mark of 6,818 yards.