Despite 90-yard TD, Peterson held under 100

7:02 pm | December 3, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:

11:55 PM ET

PHILADELPHIA — The Washington Redskins felt an 11-day layoff would refresh running back Adrian Peterson. He then showed just how fresh he was on one second-quarter carry, establishing a new career high for himself and the Redskins.

From his own 10-yard line, Peterson ran through the middle and then cut to his left — and wasn’t touched on a 90-yard touchdown. It’s the longest run of his career and the longest rushing touchdown in Washington’s history. Peterson, 33, became the oldest player with a 90-yard touchdown run since the 1970 merger.

Despite the 90-yard run, Peterson did not break 100 yards. He finished with 98 yards on nine carries.

The scoring run tied him with Jim Brown for fifth place on the NFL’s all-time list with 106 rushing touchdowns. And it gave Peterson his 16th career touchdown run of at least 50 yards, snapping a tie with Barry Sanders for most in NFL history.

Peterson had managed just 171 yards rushing in his past four games, with the Redskins losing three of them. The Redskins reduced his practice load after losing at Dallas on Thanksgiving, as Peterson did not work until Friday. He has been dealing with a bad shoulder in addition to various leg issues, but he has not yet missed a game. They also hoped the return of Chris Thompson on Monday would help reduce the burden on Peterson.

Peterson gained more yards on that one carry than he had in the past two games combined (86). He now has three rushes of 40 yards or more, one fewer than he had in 2014-17 total. And he hit a max speed of 20.84 miles per hour, according to NextGen Stats data — his fastest speed in the past three seasons.

Peterson also became the oldest player with multiple 50-yard touchdown runs this season. He ran 64 yards for a TD vs. the New York Giants in Week 8.