Todd Gurley

Even before the Minnesota Vikings lost Teddy Bridgewater to a concussion on Sunday, they made it clear they were perfectly happy to build their offense around the established running back they still feel is better than the St. Louis Rams' rising star.

Adrian Peterson got the better of Todd Gurley on Sunday, with 125 yards to Gurley's 89 in the Vikings' 21-18 overtime win over the Rams, and Peterson did most of his work by getting the ball early in drives. According to ESPN Stats and Information, 22 of Peterson's 29 carries came on first down, and he gained 111 yards on those carries. Peterson also had both of his catches on first down, giving him a total of 129 yards on 24 first-down touches. That was the most yards Peterson has posted on first down since Week 15 of 2012, also in a victory over a Rams defense the running back seems to relish facing.

"I don’t plan on passing the torch any time soon," Peterson said. "He came out and had a good game. I was able to sit back and watch him. He’s a very explosive and strong back. I would just like to encourage him to keep pushing. He’s going to come out of his game against our defense as a better player."