Flashback Friday: Peterson helps carry Vikings past Chargers in 2015

Before the two teams play in Week 15, let’s go back and look at the last meeting between the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Chargers in 2015.

On Sunday, the 9-4 Minnesota Vikings and 5-8 Los Angeles Chargers are set to face off over on the west coast. The all-time series between these two teams is tied at six wins apiece.

The last time the Vikings and Chargers played each other came in 2015 at TCF Bank Stadium and Minnesota was able to walk away with a 31-14 victory.

During the win, Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater went 13-for-24 for 121 yards while Adrian Peterson rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.

Minnesota defensive end Everson Griffen recorded 1.5 of Minnesota’s four sacks and linebacker Chad Greenway returned an interception 91 yards for a touchdown.

For the Chargers (who were based in San Diego at the time), quarterback Philip Rivers went 21-for-34 for 246 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Chargers receiver Keenan Allen had 12 catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns.

The Vikings are coming off a dominant win over the Detroit Lions last week. The Chargers also won last week, defeating Jacksonville Jaguars 45-10 and despite being only 5-8, they have played better this season than their record indicates.

This is also a road game for Minnesota, so this will not be an easy game. It is a very winnable matchup for the Vikings, yes, but it won’t be easy.

Minnesota is 3-4 on the road this year and they may need to win out just to clinch a wild card spot in the playoffs.

If the Green Bay Packers lose two of their final three games and the Vikings win all of the final three matchups, Minnesota would end up as the NFC North champions. The Vikings could also end up with the second seed if the New Orleans Saints lose two of their final three games and Minnesota gets wins in their last three matchups.

If for some reason, the Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams each finish at 11-5 this year, Minnesota would miss the postseason.

So much riding on this week’s game for the Vikings. The Chargers will not be in the playoffs this season, but you can bet they would love to play spoilers.