But it was his power that really stood out to me in Sunday’s monster 134-yard, two-touchdown performance. The Cardinals have had successful running backs during Bruce Arians’ tenure, but most have made their mark through elusiveness.
It was striking to watch Peterson work when the lanes closed up against Tampa Bay, as he seemed to relish the upcoming battle against one, two, and sometimes three defenders. Peterson averaged 2.24 yards after contact in the game, per Pro Football Focus, which is pretty amazing considering the team was only averaging 2.6 yards per carry heading into the contest.
Peterson shook off four would-be tacklers, according to PFF.