New Tennessee Titans RB Adrian Peterson is paying dividends
By Will Lomas
![Tennessee Titans Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Tennessee Titans Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Ftitansized-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2017-2F07-2F17118552-850x560-6d548918e3f9353ed0c5118ade06d56566ee092ebe9f087b5f94e7cba4906621.jpg)
It is hard to calculate the kind of impact a player like Adrian Peterson brings to a team like the Tennessee Titans.
Obviously, the Titans struggled to move the ball effectively in their Sunday night win against the L.A. Rams but to be honest a lot of that blame should be put on Bobby Hart who really hasn’t proven that he belongs on the field since signing in Nashville.
Peterson struggled to get anything going, but he showed some wiggle and the team clearly has a plan for him considering how many snaps he played and the fact that they used him in the Wildcat package.
Still, Peterson did have the touchdown that really ended any hopes the Rams had of winning that game and his value goes beyond that. Signing Peterson shows the rest of the team that you are not giving up on your identity and that you are going to commit to the offense that got you to 7-2.
Accountability, leadership, production (which will come in time), and all of the other things that Peterson brings to the Tennessee Titans are great, but there is something else that I want to call out.
How he benefits Tennessee, not just the Tennessee Titans
Not only does his addition benefit the team, but it benefits the state.
Adrian Peterson and his wife Ashley have a foundation that donates money to local food banks based on how frequently the Titans score.
https://twitter.com/AAPFFoundation/status/1457784300791742470
Stepping back from football a little bit, this is just an awesome gesture at the perfect time of year.
With the holiday season so close, there will be 25,000 more meals in Tennessee for people who are in need at this time. The great news for Tennessee Titans fans and Tennesseans alike is that this will likely continue.
The Titans score the sixth-most points in the NFL and they average 28.3 points per game. If they can keep that pace of four touchdowns per game, then that would mean that 160,000 meals could get donated by the end of the year.
Keep in mind that every touchdown for Peterson himself is actually worth 10,000 meals and not the normal 5,000.
During a season where the Tennessee Titans have such bad injury luck, it is nice to see that there is a silver lining to the Derrick Henry injury. While the Titans won’t get to claim an MVP trophy this year, they may end the season with two Hall of Fame running backs on the field together heading into the playoffs.
In a sport where the only trophy that matters is the Lombardi Trophy, the Titans might be better off with a rested dynamic duo at running back instead of a historic season with a tired running back.