In the Minnesota Vikings' 29-22 victory over the Oakland Raiders, running back Chester Taylor ran the ball 22 times for 164 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also caught 3 passes for another 38 yards, giving him 202 total yards on the day. Still, that won't be good enough to remain the starting running back when Adrian Peterson returns, whenever that may be.

There's no doubt that Peterson is, and will continue to be, a great back (unless he can't over come his history of injuries, which should be a serious concern). However, Taylor is no chump, either. Not that he should start over Peterson or get the majority of carries, but this is a man that could be a consistent 1,200 yard back, as he was a year ago in his only season as a full-time starter.

Basically, Taylor can't win. He backed up Jamal Lewis for a number of years in Baltimore, and when Lewis was out, Taylor filled in well. Still, Baltimore let him go, and retained Lewis, only to drop him a year later. Then Taylor finally got his chance, gained 1,504 combined rushing and receiving yards ... only to see the Vikings draft Adrian Peterson 7th overall in the draft.

This year, Taylor was injured early on, but came back and still played very well. In the five games he has gotten at least 8 carries, Taylor's yards per carry average has been 5.0, 3.8, 4.7, 6.7 and 7.5. Of course, successful running is a combination of both the runner and the offensive line, and the Vikings are blessed to have talent at both positions.

In the meantime, Chester Taylor will keep on running until Adrian Peterson gets back. Then, Taylor will be a back-up once again.

(Photo: Flickr)