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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Adrian Peterson was back on the practice field on Wednesday for the first time in nearly three months, and the Minnesota Vikings hope their star running back can give them the jolt they need to chase down a playoff berth.Petersons rehab of a torn meniscus in his right knee is nearly complete, allowing him to rejoin his teammates at practice as he ramps up for a highly anticipated return. Wearing a black brace on his right knee, Peterson took handoffs from Sam Bradford, ran routes and went through some agility drills during the portion of practice that was open to media.Peterson was not available for comment on Wednesday, but did tell a local website earlier in the week that he is still targeting the Dec. 24 game in Green Bay for his first game since the injury against those same Packers in Week 2.Coach Mike Zimmer did not rule out Peterson playing against the Indianapolis Colts (6-7) on Sunday, but that appears optimistic at this point. Peterson said last week that he likely would not play in a game this year if the Vikings (7-6) were eliminated from the playoff hunt, but after beating Jacksonville last weekend they remain very much in the mix in the NFC.Hes been a leader on this team. Hes one of the best players in this league and he has been for quite some time, Bradford said. I think just having him back out at practice in the huddle, I think its a definite lift to our guys.The Vikings are operating under the assumption that they have to win their final three games to get into the playoffs, and Petersons return certainly would increase those odds.The Vikings offense has struggled mightily to score points and make big plays this season, with an injury-riddled offensive line the primary culprit. Getting a player of Petersons dynamic ability back into the lineup should help a rushing offense ranked 31st in the league, especially one that struggles in short-yardage situations. The Vikings were stuffed on four downs near the goal line on Sunday against Jacksonville, and Petersons nose for the end zone, vision and power could make a dramatic difference in that area, among others.Any chance you get to add Adrian Peterson back to your lineup, its a positive, Bradford said. I think well definitely take him back in the lineup regardless of if theres any challenges or not.Zimmer was pretty tight-lipped about Petersons presence on Wednesday, not looking to make a very big issue out of it when the timeline for his return in a game remains in question.Whenever he does return, Peterson will be coming back to a different offense than the one he left in Week 2. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner resigned in November and the Vikings elevated tight ends coach Pat Shurmur to that position.With running backs Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon struggling to make big plays and Bradford under siege behind a leaky line, the Vikings retooled their offensive attack to feature more quick passes. Thats a big change from the Peterson-centric offense that the running back has been accustomed to for most of his career.Its like any player that comes back, Zimmer said. You try to figure out what they do well, how they fit into the system and things you need to change.Bradford was not concerned about accommodating Peterson back into the fold.Obviously its a little bit different than the first couple weeks of the season, but Adrians a great player and Im sure hell be able to adjust, Bradford said. We will find some things that hes comfortable with, some runs that he likes that theyve had success with in the past.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLCustom Pirates T-shirts . Andreas Johnson had a goal and two assists while Jacob de la Rose also scored for Sweden (2-0-0). Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen replied for Finland (1-1-0) Lindell opened the scoring for Finland just 41 seconds into the game, but the hosts quickly regained their composure and tied the score less than four minutes later on Wennbergs first of the game. Authentic Custom Pirates Jersey . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. http://www.custompiratesjersey.com/ . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Custom Pirates Jersey China . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Willie Stargell Jersey Large . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark".Iceland is showing that its run to the European Championship quarterfinals was no fluke.The small nation keeps surprising and Turkey was the latest victim at the Laugardalsvollur stadium in Reykjavik, beaten 2-0 thanks to two goals shortly before halftime Sunday in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.The first was an own-goal from center back Omer Toprak before Iceland forward Alfred Finnbogason scored with a volley 90 seconds later, hitting the back of the net for his third international game in succession.Iceland went out to host France in the Euro 2016 quarterfinals. It reached the playoffs in 2014 World Cup qualification, losing to Croatia, which may prove its toughest opponent in the current qualifying campaign, too.Coach Fatih Terims Turkey, meanwhile, now has just one win from its last seven games, continuing a miserable year which also included a group stage exit at the Euros.Croatia and Iceland each have seven points but Croatia leads Group I on goal differential after its 1-0 win in Finland. Ukraine is two points back after a 3-0 victory over Kosovo, Turkey is next with two points while Finland is level with Kosovo at the bottom of the group on one point.Only the nine group winners in Europe qualify directly for the tournament in Russia. The best eight group runner-ups advance to a playoff.---GROUP DWales and its star forward Gareth Bale hit a first major bump on the road to the World Cup.Perhaps unsurprisingly for the Welsh, it was Georgia dealing the blow.The Georgians havent lost to Wales in four meetings now after they recovered from conceding a 10th-minute goal to Bale to draw 1-1 against the Euro 2016 semifinalists. The first three matches between the countries all ended as wins for Georgia.Georgia attacked in waves in the second half and Tornike Okriashvili equalized with a header in the 57th.Serbia leads the group on goal differential ahead of Ireland after a 3-2 win over Austria. Wales is two points back and Austria trails by three. Georgia picked up its first point, while Moldova is bottom in thee group.ddddddddddddDusan Tadic scored a 74th-minute winner for Serbia in Belgrade.Aleksandar Mitrovic twice gave Serbia the lead only for Marcel Sabitzer and Marc Janko to score equalizers for Austria, which had started the round on four points like Serbia.In Moldova, James McClean scored two goals in the final 21 minutes to help unbeaten Ireland earn a 3-1 win.Shane Longs second-minute goal for Ireland was canceled out by Igor Bugaev in first-half injury time. McClean scored in the 69th and 76th minutes.---GROUP GItaly kept Spain from opening a significant advantage atop the group by scoring two late goals and salvaging a 3-2 win at Macedonia.Spain got off to a slow start at Albania but eased to a 2-0 victory behind second-half goals by Diego Costa and Manuel Nolito Agudo.Italy needed an injury-time goal by Ciro Immobile to secure the hard-fought win that allowed it to join Spain atop the group with seven points.Albania stayed on six points along with Israel, which beat Liechtenstein 2-1. Macedonia and Liechtenstein remain without a point after three matches.---GROUP ICroatia stayed atop the group with a 1-0 win at Finland.Mario Mandzukic hasnt had much luck in front of goal for Juventus this season, but he cant stop scoring for his country.Fresh off a hat trick against Kosovo, the Croatia star scored the only goal of the game in Finland with a simple finish from point-blank range.Meanwhile, its been a tough life on the road for new FIFA member Kosovo.The loss to Ukraine in a game staged in Poland meant the Kosovans have conceded nine goals this week at neutral venues.Fresh off a 6-0 home loss to Croatia which was actually played in Albania because Kosovo still doesnt have a certified stadium, Kosovo had to face Ukraine in Poland because the Ukrainian government doesnt recognize the tiny Balkan nations independence.Artem Kravets, Andriy Yarmolenko and Ruslan Rotan scored for Ukraine. ' ' '