Minneapolis – Can you blame Brett Favre for backsliding and again coming out of retirement to play for the Minnesota Vikings this year?

What quarterback in his right mind would not want to play in the same backfield with a special talent like Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who has made the 40-year-old quarterback’s job much easier in his return to the gridiron

The Seattle Seahawks will have to pick their poison as they face 8-1 Minnesota today. Load up the box and Favre still has the arm strength, talented receivers and moxie to make you pay in the passing game. Keep your defenders back, and then watch Peterson run wild through your defense.

“It made it a lot easier,” said Peterson, who totaled 22 touchdowns and 3,101 rushing yards in his first two seasons in the league, including two trips to the Pro Bowl. “I can’t remember my first two years feeling this fresh around this time. Not (having to) carry the load on my shoulders, it’s really balanced the offense out.”

But even with Favre throwing for 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions this season, Minnesota’s opponents still understand that stopping the Vikings’ offense depends largely upon bottling up the explosive Peterson.

“To beat the Vikings, you’ve got to stop the run,” said Seattle linebacker Leroy Hill. “And that’s just what it is. And that’s not putting Brett Favre down or anything. They’ve got a real good passing game this year and everything, but the key starts with their running game.

“You let Adrian Peterson go crazy on you, you’ve got no chance. ... He’s the best guy playing right now – the best running back in the league.”

Containing Peterson is easier said than done. At 6-foot-1, 217 pounds, he’s big enough to run over you, as evidenced by his highlight-reel play when he bowled over Pittsburgh defensive back William Gay in the Vikings’ only loss of the year. Peterson ranks the play in his top-three hits of all time.

But with a 4.37, 40-yard time and the ability to stop and start on the dime, Peterson also is one of the most explosive and elusive backs in the league. With 917 yards and 11 touchdowns, Peterson could conceivably eclipse the 2,000-yard barrier this season, becoming just the sixth running back in league history to do so.

Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said his team’s defense needs to be even more disciplined and make sure everyone stays at home against an explosive, shifty back like Peterson.

“He attacks the edges,” Bradley said. “He’ll come up the middle, and usually people will just come in and converge on him, and he’ll break it outside. So the backside can’t get lazy at all, because in pursuit you may need him because he might come back across the grain. And if you’re on the edge, you’ve got to protect the edge.”

A scary thought: Peterson’s in his third season in the league. The 24-year-old believes he can get better, and is working on improving his patience as a runner.

“That’s the biggest thing,” Peterson said. “When I first got into the league, I was just ... full speed, north and south. But I was able to learn and develop more patience, and see the game and let the game come to me.

“That comes with being more patient with your footwork, pressing the holes, not screwing the offensive line up by cutting back too soon.”

Along with patience, Peterson also could use a little work on holding onto the ball better. He finished with a league-high nine fumbles last season, losing four of them. And halfway through this season, Peterson already has four fumbles, all of them lost.

Part of the reason for the fumbles is Peterson’s unwillingness to go out of bounds as he fights for every yard on every play.

But as Peterson says, he doesn’t plan on changing the way he approaches the game.

“A lot of people kind of knock the way I play,” he said. “Guys encourage me to go out of bounds more and things like that, but I really feel like the way I play the game, that’s the best way to avoid injuries.

“I’ve seen too many guys tiptoe through the hole – as far as running backs – and play the game at a different speed, not finish plays, getting legs caught up and things like that. So I like the way I play. I play fast.”

eric.williams@thenewstribune.com

SEAHAWKS GAMEDAY

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (3-6) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (8-1)

Kickoff: 10 a.m., Mall of America Field, Minneapolis.

TV: Ch. 13.

Radio: 710-AM, 97.3-FM.

The series: This is the 11th time the two teams have met. The Seahawks lead the series, 6-4. The two teams have split the last four games, with Minnesota winning the last contest, 31-13, on Oct. 22, 2006.

What to watch: The Seahawks will have to figure out a way to deal with Minnesota’s talented defensive line, which has a league-leading 34 sacks coming into today’s contest. Defensive end Jared Allen plays with a lot of energy on the outside, and Vikings defensive tackle Pat and Kevin Williams make it hard for teams to run inside. ... The Vikings could be playing without their top cornerback in Antoine Winfield (foot), who will be a gametime decision, so the Seahawks could look to exploit that matchup against Minnesota reserve cornerback Benny Sapp. ... Brett Favre leads the league in fewest interceptions with just three for the season, and has a 107.5 passer rating heading into today’s game.

TNT pick: Vikings, 28-20.

Prime numbers

SEATTLE

No. Name (pos.)Ht./Wt.Year

20 Justin Forsett (RB)5-8/195second

Needs repeat of last week’s effort against Arizona.

84 TJ Houshmandzadeh (WR)6-2/203ninth

Hawks will look for veteran to keep chains moving.

57 David Hawthorne (LB)6-0/240second

Needs to be disciplined tackler vs. Adrian Peterson.

23 Marcus Trufant (CB)5-11/197seventh

Fewer penalties, more playmaking will help defense.

MINNESOTA

No. Name (pos.)Ht./Wt.Year

76 Steve Hutchinson (OG)6-5/313ninth

Facing former team he spurned to go to Minnesota.

28 Adrian Peterson (RB)6-1/217third

Can Hawks slow down best back in the league?

50 E.J. Henderson (LB) 6-1/245sixth

Veteran linebacker leads team in tackles.

22 Benny Sapp (CB) 5-10/190sixth

Reserve CB needs to play well if Winfield is out.

Eric D. Williams, The News Tribune