AP

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson emerged from his return to Washington unscathed, a nice change from the serious knee injury he suffered there last season.

The day was far from perfect for Peterson, however. The Vikings fell behind 31-12 before mounting a comeback that fell short after Robert Griffin III added to his highlight reel with a game-icing 76-yard touchdown run. And Peterson also got a little bit more than he bargained for after being tackled by Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall on one play. He explained after the game why he spent a little time jawing with Hall after a first quarter run.

“He slapped me in the face after making a good tackle,” Peterson said via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “And I was just telling him, ‘Hey, don’t do me like that, brother.’ I looked him in the eyes and he knew I meant business.

Seems like a reasonable enough request from Peterson. Peterson finished with 79 yards on 17 carries, with 40 of the yards coming on the opening field goal drive. As the Vikes fell behind, Peterson became less of a focal point for their offense even if it seems he was always on Hall’s mind.

The collective slap in the face that the Redskins gave the Vikings dropped Minnesota into second place in an NFC North that feels a little tighter in the wake of Green Bay’s performance in Houston on Sunday night.