Case Keenum, Adrian Peterson must be out for revenge vs. the Vikings
Case Keenum and Adrian Peterson were both jettisoned by the Vikings over the course of the past three years. Playing them on Thursday night, they must be hungry for revenge.
A lot of attention is being paid to the Kirk Cousins revenge game narrative surrounding Thursday night’s Redskins-Vikings contest. This makes a lot of sense. After all, Cousins spent six years with the Redskins but the two sides could never agree on a long-term, lucrative deal to keep Cousins in the nation’s capital. And now, in his first game against his former team, he’ll want to show them what they’re missing.
That said, the Cousins narrative is overshadowing one of equal importance for the Redskins. Two of their key offensive players, Case Keenum and Adrian Peterson, are playing in revenge games of their own. Both enjoyed the best seasons of their respective careers with the Vikings and now, they will get to play their former team.
Peterson’s departure from the Vikings was an unceremonious one. Despite being the greatest running back in team history, the team elected not to pick up an option on his contract in 2017. He was coming off a woeful, injury-plagued season and the Vikings wanted to move on from him.
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Since that time, Peterson has been on a few different teams with varying levels of success. He lasted just a handful of games with the New Orleans Saints before being given a chance to succeed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2017. And for the past two seasons, he has been with the Redskins as their starting running back, and he posted a 1,000-yard season in 2018.
Peterson played the Vikings once before as a member of the Saints, but he only totaled 18 yards on six carries as part of a rotation with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. In more of a featured role with the Redskins, he’ll have a chance to put up better numbers though he is facing a very strong defense and is nursing a sore ankle.
Either way, the 34-year-old Peterson is out for revenge. And that’s one of the reasons that he is playing this week despite the balky ankle. He has had this game circled and he doesn’t want to miss a chance to put up great numbers against his old team.
As for Keenum, he is taking more of an understated approach to this game as he confirmed in a recent press conference.
“There’s really no need to get more amped for any game in this league, especially when you’re playing a team like this with a great defense,” Keenum said of the game against the Vikings, per the Redskins official website. “We’ve got to give it everything we’ve got no matter what. I’ve played long enough to where I feel like if I keep going, I might play against my old team every week. It’s just a normal game for me.”
It’s no surprise that Keenum would downplay this contest to avoid giving the Vikings bulletin-board material. He is a savvy veteran and with the Redskins being underdogs in this contest, he doesn’t want to make a short-week game any more difficult than it already is.
That said, Keenum has to harbor some ill feelings toward the Vikings. After all, he helped get them to the NFC Championship Game in 2018. And how did they repay him? By signing Kirk Cousins to the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history and letting Keenum go to the Broncos.
Since leaving Minnesota, Keenum has a combined record of 7-16. Being stuck on a couple of mediocre-to-bad teams in the Broncos and Redskins hasn’t been easy for him, and a chance to upset the Vikings and show them what they’re missing with him could fuel his fire. The Vikings have a tough defense, but if Keenum is prepared, sharp, and plays like he did in Minnesota, perhaps he can find a way to beat them.
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Heading into the game against the Vikings, the performance of Peterson and Keenum will be key. Nobody is giving the Redskins a chance in this game, but perhaps the underdog mentality will help the team outplay expectations. If they want to find success in this game, they’re going to need Peterson and Keenum to step up and get revenge on their former team. If they can’t do that, the offense could sputter.