It has been a comeback for the ages for Adrian Peterson, who has football people rethinking what's possible in a season following reconstructive knee surgery.
Peterson leads the NFL with 1,236 rushing yards through 11 games this season. He's on pace for nearly 1,800 yards, stunning production that would set a career high.
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Is Peterson playing at the highest level of his career? Vikings coach Leslie Frazier told NFL.com's Albert Breer that the 2012 version of Peterson is a smarter -- and better -- running back.
"I think he's a more patient runner than he was," Frazier said. "He'd see things in the past, and just take off, and his offensive line wouldn't know where he was at. One play might be called this way, and he was so aggressive, he might be somewhere else. Now, he's more patient, he's letting the offensive line do its job, setting them up and letting them finish their blocks.
"In a lot of ways, he's better than he was before the surgery. I never thought I'd say that. But he's done things to make himself better."
The Vikings will meet the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers has a similar assessment as Frazier when it comes to Peterson.
"I think this is the best he's played in the four years I've been here," Capers told Breer. "You see more 'wow' plays. One of the games we looked at was Seattle, and early in the game, I think he had 184 yards or something like that, they averaged 10 yards a rush in that game. He's a difference-maker. He's as good as there is."
"You don't have to say much to your guys, they just have to watch the tape. They know this guy's a different bird."
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.