Adrian Peterson Says After Saints Debut He 'Didn't Sign Up for 9 Snaps'

New Orleans Saints running back Adrian Peterson commented on his low usage in his team's 29-19 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.

"I didn't sign up for nine snaps, though, but unfortunately that's the way the game played out," Peterson said Thursday, per USA Today's Kevin Spain. "In my mind, personally, I knew it was gonna take some adjusting. You know, me and Mark [Ingram] played in the last preseason game, and [Alvin Kamara] didn't even play that game. So with all three of us being out there, I knew it would take a game or so to kind of get adjusted."


Peterson also acknowledged what appeared to be a heated moment between he and Saints head coach Sean Peyton during the game.

The seven-time Pro Bowler said the exchange was "definitely overdramatized."

Peterson ran for 18 yards on six carries in the loss. According to Pro Football Reference, his carry total tied a career low, and his rushing total tied his third-worst output.

Peterson was a somewhat surprising addition to a Saints team that was welcoming back Ingram, who hit 1,000-plus rushing yards for the first time in his NFL career in 2016. New Orleans also traded up in the third round of the 2017 draft to select Kamara.

And it's not like the running game has been a staple of the Saints offense since Drew Brees took over at quarterback. Even at 37, he led the NFL in passing attempts (673) in 2016.

Perhaps New Orleans saw signing Peterson and picking up Kamara as a way to take some pressure off Brees as he approaches what may be the twilight of his career. Still, finding a way to keep Ingram, Peterson and Kamara happy won't be easy for Payton, and the Vikings game was evidence of that.