By John Shipley

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Adrian Peterson said Monday he will return to practice this week at Winter Park and plans to return to the field for a Dec. 24 matinee in Green Bay.

In a 15-minute interview with St. Paul native DJ Skee on Dash Radio, the 31-year-old running back said rehabbing from a torn meniscus suffered in Week 2 “has been a grind” but he still thinks the Vikings can play in the Super Bowl near his home in Houston.

“My eyes are still set on being in Houston for the Super Bowl,” he said. “That’s been my vision. With us still in the (playoff) hunt, that hasn’t changed at all.”

Sunday’s 25-16 victory at Jacksonville keeps the Vikings (7-6) alive for an NFC postseason spot, although their road to an NFC North title is all but over after the Lions’ victory over Chicago.

Peterson stopped well short of saying he would be available for this Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“I plan on practicing this week to really get my legs under me and get a good feel on where I’m at,” he told the Internet radio network. “So, this week is going to be big for me. My plan, and my vision, is to be back for the Green Bay game. That’s what I’m envisioning.

“Of course, the perfect scenario would be we win out and I’m able to rest up for three weeks, and be ready for the playoffs. That’s the perfect scenario. But I’ll be out there this week practicing, and I’ll go from there.”

Peterson had surgery to repair a torn meniscus after being injured in the Vikings’ second game. In 2012, he returned within a year of knee reconstruction surgery to gain more than 2,000 yards and win the NFL MVP Award. He also missed all but one game in 2014, in part because of an NFL suspension related to a child abuse arrest in 2015.

“I’ve been a pretty good judge of my body, and I don’t know if I’ll be ready to roll this week, next week or the week after,” Peterson told DJ Skee. “I feel like these next couple of days, next two weeks, for sure, will really help me determine what I’ll be able to do. God has blessed me to really be able to heal rapidly, and blessed me with a good mind-set to attack challenges and defeat the odds when people bet against me.”