NFL: Vikings Adrian Peterson faces boyhood favorites in Cowboys
By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Sports Writer
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — As a kid in Palestine, Texas, Adrian Peterson idolized the Dallas Cowboys.
Peterson was a youngster when Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and the rest of the Cowboys won three Super Bowls in the 1990s.
Peterson dreamed of one day donning the helmet with the famous star and becoming the next Cowboys legend. But now that team stands in the way of Peterson’s first career playoff victory and a berth in the NFC title game.
Peterson’s Vikings host the Cowboys on Sunday in an NFC divisional playoff game. Most of Peterson’s family still lives in Texas, and the star running back says even some of them are finding it difficult to decide who to root for.