Vikings’ Peterson faces Cowboys

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — As a kid growing up in Palestine, Texas, Adrian Peterson idolized the Dallas Cowboys.

A poster of Deion Sanders hung on the wall in his bedroom. He had trading cards of Emmitt Smith. He rejoiced while watching Michael Irvin restore the swagger and success to the team that won three Super Bowls in the 1990s.

Come Sunday, that famed Cowboys star will look so much different to the Minnesota Vikings All-Pro running back. It once represented a target to shoot for, the symbol of all his boyhood dreams.

Now that star is just the next barrier standing in his way in pursuit of his first career playoff victory and a berth in the NFC championship game.

The Vikings (12-4) play host the Cowboys (12-5) on Sunday in an NFC divisional playoff game that, remarkable as it may sound, even has Peterson’s family divided.

“I was a huge Cowboys fan growing up, the days of Michael Irvin, Prime Time, Emmitt,” Peterson said Thursday. “It’s going to feel good to play those guys. I’ve got a lot of family that is kind of [undecided] which side they’re pulling for.”

Most of Peterson’s family still lives in Texas and their loyalties are being tested this week.

“Even family members,” Peterson said with a sheepish grin. “We have some die-hard Cowboys fans.”

He has one message for those relatives on the fence: Ask a Cowboys player for tickets.

“[I’ve said that] to a couple of them,” Peterson said with a chuckle.

All joking aside, if the Vikings are going to prevail over the surging Cowboys, Peterson likely will play a pivotal role. He hasn’t topped 100 yards rushing in a game in two months, though he has been more active in the passing game since Brett Favre took over the offense.

Peterson set a team record and led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns and finished fifth in the NFL with 1,383 yards. He averaged a career-low 4.4 yards per carry and lost six fumbles, but the Cowboys have made him a focus of their defensive game plan.

“You need to commit to the running game with that guy,” Dallas coach Wade Phillips said. “He’s such a tremendous talent.”

In Peterson, the Vikings have a player that the Eagles didn’t last week, someone who might have helped neutralize the ferocious pass rush from outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer.