2012 Minnesota Vikings Team Preview: Can Peterson Recover to Make the Vikings a Contender?

STATE OF THE FRANCHISE

The Vikings are in full rebuilding mode after a 3-13 season that ended with Adrian Peterson on crutches due to a torn ACL and a defense that allowed the second most points per game in the NFL. Just two seasons removed from an appearance in the NFC Championship game, the Vikings still clung to hope that they could contend last season. To that end, they traded for Donovan McNabb to shore up the quarterback position, but he was benched after a 1-5 start. Christian Ponder, the team's 2011 first-round draft pick, took over, but the results were not much better. The Vikings went 2-8 with Ponder at the helm and he had just a 13:13 TD:INT ratio and a 70.1 QB rating.

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