Peterson to step up in absence of Palmer
LONDON — Adrian Peterson’s second game in Britain was remarkably similar to his first — and the Arizona Cardinals are soon going to need much more from him on a consistent basis.
Peterson rushed for 21 yards on 11 carries in the Cardinals’ 33-0 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, three weeks and one trade after he made a forgettable appearance for the New Orleans Saints.
And while the 32-year-old figures to have an increased role for the Cardinals with quarterback Carson Palmer out eight weeks with a broken left arm, it’s one that he didn’t feel quite ready to confront.
“Of course, running the ball will help us a lot . ... but it’s too early right now to be talking about me,” Peterson said.
Peterson, a four-time AllPro, seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time rushing leader, signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the Saints in April after 10 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
But with the presence of Mark Ingram and the emergence of rookie Alvin Kamara, the Saints had no need for Peterson. Enter the Cardinals, who lost David Johnson to a wrist injury in the season opener and had a rushing attack that ranked last in total yards through the first five weeks.
Thus, Peterson was acquired by Arizona on Oct. 11 in exchange for an undisclosed draft pick. He rushed for 134 yards and two TDs in his first game, a win over Tampa Bay last week.
In fact, his 26 carries in his Cardinals debut nearly matched the 27 carries he totaled in four games for the Saints. Four of those, for a net gain of 4 yards, were in a 20-0 win over the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 1.
The circumstances of the game on Sunday — an early deficit, magnified by Palmer’s second-quarter injury — forced the Cardinals to rely on backup quarterback Drew Stanton and the passing game more than they wanted.
“We struggled to get a running game going and didn’t stick with it probably because it wasn’t working,” coach Bruce Arians said.
Stanton, the Cardinals’ backup since 2013, will take over for Palmer going forward. He made it clear what he needs from Peterson once Arizona returns to work.
“Make sure I don’t leave anything out there,” Stanton said. “I know I left a couple of plays out there in the run game and in the pass game as well. I need to clean up what I can do, and that will help us a lot.”
The Rams (5-2) hope the rest of the NFC West has taken note of their start.
“I think today we sent a message to our division,” defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. “We’re not going to sneak up on anybody. We’re expecting everybody’s A-plus game and we’re up for the challenge.”
The last time the Rams won five of their first seven games was in 2003, which marked the last time they finished with a winning record.