Taylor Taking a Beating

Vikings running back Chester Taylor will play today, but not without the wear and tear of the season taking a toll on his body.

Vikings running back Chester Taylor was limited in practice for two days last week, but Taylor has said he will play Sunday against the Packers. Coach Brad Childress acknowledged his decision to limit the veteran’s reps wasn’t just for rest.

“It’s not a freshen-up,” Childress said. “He’s having trouble moving around. ... We need to keep our eye on him.”

The fact Taylor is beat up comes as no surprise. After four seasons as a backup in Baltimore, Taylor signed as a free agent with Minnesota so he could be a workhorse back like his former teammate Jamal Lewis.

The Vikings certainly have delivered on their promise to use Taylor as a focal point of their offense. He is third in the NFL in combined rushing attempts and receptions with 205 touches (173 rushes and 32 catches). Only Kansas City running back Larry Johnson (226 total) and San Diego running back LaDanian Tomlinson (206) have had their hands on the ball more.

In the Vikings’ loss to San Francisco on Sunday, Taylor touched the ball a season-high 34 times. He said nothing in particular happened in that game to land him on the injury report.

“Playing running back, you’re going to get banged up every week,” he said. “It isn’t just one game, it’s the whole season. (Childress is) just trying to keep me healthy because we’ve got eight more weeks.”

Taylor, who is fourth in the NFL with 708 rushing yards, already has exceeded his previous single-season high for carries. He had 160 with Baltimore in 2004, 13 fewer than he has through eight games.

Taylor said getting some rest from practices in the second half of the season might be a good idea. “I feel like so I could be able to play on Sunday, the best thing to do is rest me during the week,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with that. I’ve just got to stay mentally focused on it.”