It’s easy to get caught up in Adrian Peterson’s pursuit of Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record. For starters, Peterson is a great guy. He’s also a rare talent. And he’s coming back from one of the worst injuries a running back can have.
But to finish the assault on Dickerson’s record will require Peterson to put up 506 yards in three games -- and that’s something he’s never done in his six-year NFL career.
Before this season, Peterson came the closest to that feat in 2008, when he gained 454 yards in games against the Bears, Texans, and Packers. In his rookie season, Peterson churned up 438 yards versus the Chiefs, Packers, and Bears.
This year, however, Peterson has three different three-game stretches in which he has come closer than ever before to 506 yards. In his most recent three games, Peterson has 468 yards. In the three-game stretch that ended with a Week 13 loss to the Packers, Peterson rushed for 489 yards. And in Week Eight through Week 10, Peterson gained 476 yards.
So he’s having, without question, the best season of his career -- and he has taken his production to a new level as of Week Seven, rushing for 1,001 yards in seven games. That’s an average of 143 yards per game.
If he continues that, he’ll definitely get to 2,000 yards. The question is whether he can kick it up just enough to get to 2,106.
Either way, Eric Dickerson should be nervous.