Joique Bell: 'It's Going To Be A Fun Weekend' Against Vikings
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
With as many weapons as there are between the Lions and the Vikings, Sunday's matchup could theoretically be an offensive battle. At least Detroit running back Joique Bell thinks so.
Playing at Bell's position for Minnesota is, of course, Adrian Peterson, one of the best running backs in the league even after playing in only one game last season because of suspension.
Now Peterson, who carried the ball 10 times in Minnesota's Monday night loss to the 49ers, will look to increase his contributions against Detroit.
"I have a lot of confidence in our defense but at the same time, Adrian Peterson is a great running back," Bell said. "It's going to be a fun weekend, especially on the offensive end."
Those 10 carries from Peterson on Monday yielded only 31 yards – a far cry from the kind of numbers he's used to putting up.
But Bell doubts that that lack of production will continue.
"He's definitely a force to be reckoned with," he said. "I believe the 49ers had a great game plan against him and was able to contain him. But you can only contain Adrian Peterson so long before he gets the rust off."
Whether or not Peterson gets that rust off against the Lions, or somewhere else down the line remains to be seen. Regardless, Detroit has running back depth that – on paper at least – can at least compete with Minnesota's offense. Bell started in the Lions' 33-28 loss to the Chargers last week, but rookie Ameer Abdullah showed how valuable he can be to Detroit's offense.
"It was gorgeous," Bell said of Abdullah's performance Sunday, which included a long run of 24 yards and a kickoff return of 48. "The safety he made miss was actually a really good player for their team. It just shows his play-making ability and shows he has a bright future in this league."