Adrian Peterson sets rushing record

(AP) Right after Adrian Peterson finished another feat, the talk turned to two more.

Peterson rushed for an NFL-record 296 yards for Minnesota in Sunday's game, putting him well on pace to break Eric Dickerson's rookie record for the season - and within range of Dickerson's all-time mark for yards rushing in one year.

"I set my bar high, because I know anything is possible when you continue to work hard," Peterson said.

The hits just keep on coming for Peterson, who carried the Vikings to a 35-17 victory over the San Diego Chargers. His career? Yeah, it's only eight games old.

"Every time he touches the ball, my jaw drops," teammate Darren Sharper said.

Coach Brad Childress and running backs coach Eric Bieniemy looked at each other during practice last week and had a feeling Peterson was on the verge of a big game. It was subtle progress, figuring out how to poke his head inside the hole to lure the linebacker in before taking off on a run around the end, but that's part of playing this difficult position.

"He's going to hit home runs, but he's understanding the patience part of it as well," Childress said.

Peterson, who scored on touchdown runs of 1, 64, and 46 yards, became the first rookie to top 200 yards twice in the same year. He bested the 295 yards Jamal Lewis gained for Baltimore in 2003 against Cleveland. He led Minnesota to a franchise-record 378 yards rushing, too.

Plus, with 1,036 yards at the midpoint of the season, he's gaining fast on Dickerson's rookie record of 1,808 set in 1983. Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards the next year, which is the most in NFL history.

Childress was asked if he thought he had the best back in the league.

"Yeah, you can't feel any other way right now," the coach said.

For all that he's done for the Vikings, his actual impact on their success is not yet clear.

At 3-5, they're merely on pace to finish with the same record they had last year. With the lingering uncertainty at quarterback and the improbability that Peterson will repeat this, no matter how good he gets, there's no guarantee this team can climb into playoff contention in the second half of the season.

Peterson scored two of his three touchdowns and gained 253 yards in the second half, helping the Vikings rally from a 14-7 hole. They trailed at the half after Antonio Cromartie plucked a missed field goal out of the air and returned it 109 yards for a touchdown, the longest play in NFL history.

In any other game, Cromartie's feat would have been big news. Instead, San Diego (4-4) saw a three-game winning streak end with a substandard all-around performance.

Minnesota pressured Philip Rivers into one of the worst games of his career and made sure LaDainian Tomlinson didn't come close to matching Peterson's performance. The Vikings came into the weekend with more yards passing allowed than any other NFL team, but Rivers went just 6-for-17 for 59 yards in the first half and finished 19-for-42 for 197 yards, one interception and one lost fumble.

"It's not defense or offense. It's all of us," Rivers said. "Obviously we were given plenty of opportunities, but we didn't do enough."

Tomlinson rushed 16 times for 40 yards and one touchdown. He sought out Peterson to congratulate him on the field after the game, perhaps a torch-passing of sorts from the reigning NFL MVP to a rookie who's playing like one.

"I was just sitting over there on the sidelines, and to have over 200 yards in the second half, that's impressive," Tomlinson said. "I've never seen anything like it."

The Chargers knocked Minnesota quarterback Tarvaris Jackson out of the game with a concussion late in the second quarter. Brooks Bollinger relieved, and he threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Sidney Rice in the third quarter that put the Vikings in front 21-14.

That score was set up by seven straight running plays.

"That's how I like to play football," Childress said.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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