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Arizona Cardinals running back Adrian Peterson will miss the rest of the season because of a neck injury, which he told ESPN on Friday will not require surgery.
The network had previously reported that Peterson was going on injured reserved after he missed the prior two games. He was injured against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 26.
“The good news is my neck injury doesn't require surgery, but l'm told by Dr. Robert Watkins that the best thing for me is just more rest than the length of this season,” Peterson told ESPN. “Obviously, I'm disappointed about going on IR when my body is still able to produce, but I look forward to returning completely healthy for another season in 2018.”
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Peterson, acquired from the New Orleans Saints in an October trade, rushed for 448 yards on 129 attempts in six games for the Cardinals. He started strong with 134 yards and two touchdowns against the Buccaneers in Week 6, but his performance was uneven in later weeks. He was held under two yards per carry in three games, and only once did he top 100 yards again (Week 9, 159 yards on a career-high 37 attempts).
Peterson has one year remaining on a two-year contract he signed with the Saints in the offseason.
Contributing: Ryan Winn of The Arizona Republic.
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