AP into Ring of Honor Tonight...

From a pure football lens? A no brainer...

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Peterson, who the Vikings selected No. 7 overall out of Oklahoma in 2007, remains the highest-drafted running back in team history. He won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors his first season after averaging a league-leading 95.8 yards per game for 1,341 yards total.

Even days before his induction into the Vikings’ Ring of Honor, running back Adrian Peterson is still thinking about one major “what if” from his 10-year career in Minnesota.

His tone shifts as he recounts the 2009 NFC title game, which the Vikings lost 31-28 to the New Orleans Saints.

Peterson rushed for 122 yards — his fourth 100-yard game of the season — and three touchdowns on 25 carries.

The Vikings “dominated in every category,” that game, as Peterson recalls, outside the turnover battle.

“We had just missed a chance to go to the Super Bowl,” said Peterson, who was in his third season at the time. “In that moment, I never thought we wouldn’t have the chance to make it back. Now, I sit here and I’m just like, ‘Man. What if?’ ”

Peterson’s recollection of the NFC title game was the sole somber moment of a call with local media Wednesday ahead of the ceremony. He was sure to counter it with a happy game memory: The Vikings’ 35-17 win over the then-San Diego Chargers in Peterson’s rookie season.

That was the game in which Peterson set the NFL single-game rushing yards record with 296 on 30 carries, an average of 9.9 per carry. He also scored three touchdowns.

A majority of those yards (253) came after halftime. Peterson said the team looked at “so many things” at the break that helped open up the game in the second half.

He said his relationship with the Vikings has not diminished since his tenure ended in Minnesota.

Asked what he thinks of first when asked about his time in Minnesota, Peterson’s answer wasn’t that NFC title game.

“Family” was the first word that came to mind.

“Through the ups and the downs, the wins and the losses, just how it was a family-oriented organization,” Peterson said.

“Anytime I’m back in Minnesota visiting the kids and family, I’m always embraced. I’m always invited out,” he added in a later answer. “That’s what family does.”

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