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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Vikings’ Peterson has torn ACL

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee after taking a direct hit in a 33-26 win over the Washington Redskins.

Peterson said he knew “it was something bad” the moment he was hit and that he was in “severe pain” as he lay on the field. He was hurt when tackled by Redskins safety DeJon Gomes at the end of a 3-yard gain on the first offensive play of the second half.

The injury will likely sideline Peterson for some nine months and make it difficult for him to return for the start of next season.

Race for No. 1 pick

Indianapolis and St. Louis are the last teams standing for the NFL draft’s top pick next April.

Minnesota eliminated itself Saturday by winning its third game, 33-26 at Washington. Because its schedule was stronger than either the Colts or the Rams played, the Vikings can’t select first even if all three teams finish 3-13.

The Colts remain the front-runner and if they lose at Jacksonville next Sunday, they get the No. 1 choice.

Playoff picture

The Detroit Lions are back in the NFL playoffs for the first time in 12 years, earning an NFC wild-card berth by beating San Diego and knocking the Chargers from contention.

New England will have home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs if it beats Buffalo next week.

The New York Giants are tied with Dallas at 8-7 atop the NFC East. The Cowboys visit the Giants next Sunday night, with the winner taking the division, the loser going home.

Denver fell into a tie atop the AFC West with Oakland. Still, if the Broncos beat Kansas City in Denver next Sunday, they take the division. The Raiders get in if they defeat the Chargers in Oakland and the Chiefs win.

Baltimore and Pittsburgh remained atop the AFC North at 11-4, with the Ravens holding the tiebreaker. If the Ravens beat Cincinnati next week, they take the division and the Steelers get a wild card. If Cincinnati wins, it gets the last conference wild card and gives the Steelers a chance to grab the AFC North.

Seattle was eliminated with its loss to San Francisco, which is currently seeded second behind Green Bay.

If Atlanta beats New Orleans on Monday, it still could take the NFC South, but would clinch at least a wild card. The Saints are in already.

Tennessee and Chicago are long shots for wild cards.

Record day

San Francisco kicker David Akers set the NFL record for most field goals in one season with his 41st. Neil Rackers held the previous record with 40 made field goals set in the 2005 season while playing for Arizona. … Tennessee kicker Rob Bironas set an NFL record with a 51-yard field goal, giving him a field goal of 40 yards or longer in nine straight games. Bironas had been tied with Morten Andersen (1990-91) and Jeff Wilkins (2005-06). … Carolina quarterback Cam Newton broke Peyton Manning’s single-season rookie record for most yards passing in a season. Manning threw for 3,739 yards in 1998. Newton has 3,893.