Video (04:45) : The Vikings will play their second game without running back Adrian Peterson. Can they pull out a win against the 0-2 Saints without their best player?

As they move on without the most dominant running back of this generation, the Vikings, at least for the short term, have turned their backfield over to an undrafted overachiever who three years ago was working in a warehouse; a third-round pick who played quarterback until last year; and a former two-star college recruit who bounced around the NFL before settling in somewhat in Minnesota.

Their names are Matt Asiata, Jerick McKinnon and Joe Banyard, and each one hopes to seize the opportunity that has been presented under these bizarre, sad circumstances and help the Vikings salvage their season.

“These guys deserve an opportunity to go out and perform,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “So many times in the NFL when injuries happen or things happen, guys go out and they perform and they have a chance to make a great career for themselves. It happens every week with somebody because of the number of injuries and things like that.”

Of course, nothing about this situation and the past 10 days has been normal. On Sept. 12, a warrant was issued for Adrian Peterson, the team’s all-time leading rusher, on a child abuse charge in his home state of Texas. He was deactivated for last Sunday’s home opener, and after he was reinstated Monday, the Vikings changed their minds again two days later.

With Peterson on the exempt list and likely out for the rest of the season while his legal issues play out in Texas, the Vikings have three running backs on the roster with a combined 65 NFL carries among them. The coaching staff says it is not drastically altering its game plan for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, but it knows it probably can’t count on its current group of backs popping a few long runs every Sunday like Peterson did.

Since 2007, Peterson’s first season in the NFL, the Vikings have rushed for 16,104 yards, more than any other team. The team’s 4.8 yards-per-carry average also ranks first in the league. Peterson has been selected to six Pro Bowls and came 9 yards shy of setting the single-season rushing record in his 2012 MVP season.

On his third touch of the game last Sunday, Matt Asiata turned a short pass reception into a 25-yard touchdown. It was the team’s only score of the day.

In the seven games since 2011 that Peterson sat out because of injury or deactivation, the Vikings as a team averaged 4.6 yards per carry. But they went 2-5, including last week’s loss to the Patriots in which they averaged just 2.8 yards per run.

“There’s no other Adrian Peterson in the NFL, so [fully replacing him is] not going to happen,” fullback Jerome Felton said. “But those guys are quality, good backs. Everybody needs to raise their level of play to make them successful.”

No. 1, for now

Asiata, who started in place of Peterson last week, has gotten the first crack. He has been working toward this opportunity for a long time, but no one would have blamed him for giving up years ago.

After a productive but unspectacular career at Utah, Asiata went undrafted. It certainly didn’t help that the 5-foot-11 running back ran the 40-yard dash in 4.77 seconds. He signed with the Vikings and made the practice squad but lasted only a week before then-coach Leslie Frazier called him up to his office, asked him for his playbook and said goodbye with no guarantees he would ever be back.

Married with three children, Asiata took a job at an industrial supply company delivering truckloads of supplies to construction workers. Before heading home to his family after his shift, he would train for the day the NFL came calling again.

“I wasn’t going to get complacent,” Asiata said. “I had to provide for my family. I couldn’t just sit there and pout. I had to do something and make money. And that’s what I did until I got the call.”

That call came from a 612 area code. The Vikings signed him to a futures contract after the 2011 season, and he beat out Jordan Todman and Lex Hilliard to make the team in 2012, playing almost exclusively on special teams. In 2013, after injuries to Peterson and second-string back Toby Gerhart, Asiata started two of the team’s final three games, scoring three touchdowns in the first and rushing for 115 yards in the second.

Asiata, who had 36 yards on 13 carries against the Patriots, feels he can bring physicality similar to what Peterson brought. “But his speed? He’s up there,” Asiata said. While he hasn’t yet shown an ability to get much more than what is blocked for him, the coaching staff trusts him in all situations. He had a 25-yard touchdown reception last week and was perfect as a pass protector.

Now, with Peterson out indefinitely and many fans wondering when McKinnon, the electric rookie running back, is going to take over for him, Asiata, 27, is looking to exceed expectations once again.

“That’s the story of my life, just proving everybody wrong,” Asiata said. “I just want to show that a little guy like me can step up and get a big role like this.”

Learning quickly

McKinnon, whom the team selected with the second of two third-round picks in May, faced a steep learning curve coming out of small-school Georgia Southern, and with Peterson gone, his in-game education will be accelerated. McKinnon played quarterback at Georgia Southern until he was moved to running back his senior year, but he was a triple-option triggerman and not your traditional quarterback when he was under center.

The baby-faced rookie opened eyes at the scouting combine, testing out as a top performer in pretty much every drill. But still has a lot of growing to do to prove that he is more than a workout warrior.

McKinnon, 22, is being asked to run between the tackles much more than he did in college, where he stressed defenses on the perimeter. And while his athleticism and ability to make people miss in space originally had the team envisioning a Darren Sproles-type role for him as a rookie, his pass-blocking has left a lot to be desired.

“If the coaches call on me, I think I’m ready right now,” McKinnon said.

Banyard, 25, started his college career at Texas Christian, but the two-star recruit transferred to UTEP. He was not drafted and spent time with the Jaguars and Saints before landing on the Vikings practice squad. He was promoted to the 53-man roster late in 2013 and suited up for three games.

Despite averaging 5.9 yards per carry in the preseason, he started this season on the practice squad. But when Peterson was deactivated last weekend, Banyard was promoted to be the team’s third running back. He didn’t have any carries against the Patriots, but he could get some Sunday, especially if Asiata and McKinnon struggle.

Splitting duties?

Offensive coordinator Norv Turner suggested Thursday that the Vikings could use a committee approach with Asiata and McKinnon, using their combined skill sets to try to replace as much of what Peterson brought to the backfield as possible. But Turner said he will go with “the guy that gets the hot hand.”

Sunday and beyond, the position appears to be up for grabs. If none of the three backs on the roster emerges, the Vikings could look to add a veteran via free agency or a trade.

For now, though, these three little-known runners hope to do their best impersonation of Peterson, the face of the Vikings franchise and one of the best to ever play their position.

“Any time a guy like AP is not here, there are definitely going to be some big shoes to fill,” McKinnon said. “I think the whole running back room has collectively gotten closer and gotten tighter. We know what’s up, and what we’ve got to do and what we’ve got to accomplish, so we’re ready to show that.”





