:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4903695/20121211_kkt_sk1_048.0.jpg)
Adrian Peterson is leading the NFL in rushing with 1,600 yards, more than 300 ahead of his nearest challenger. He's carried the ball 265 times along the way, and despite being in his first season after reconstructive knee surgery, the Minnesota Vikings have little concern over Peterson's workload.
"We're still paying attention, but it's not to the point where we say, 'When we get to this point, we're going to shut him down,'" [head coach Leslie] Frazier said. "We're not at that point now. But we are conscious each quarter (of), 'How many carries does he have?' "
Peterson's 1,600 yards and 10 touchdowns in the Vikings' 13 games places him with Jim Brown and O.J. Simpson as the only running backs to put up numbers that high in such a brief time span. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his 154-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, which was also his seventh straight 100-yard game.
The Vikings are one game behind the Bears for the last wild-card berth, and face the St. Louis Rams on Sunday in St. Louis. It's unlikely that Peterson will get much of a rest with so much still left to play for.