Adrian Peterson opened the second half against the Packers in need of 11 yards to become the seventh man ever to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season.
It took him exactly one carry to get the milestone. Peterson sprinted 20 yards on his first touch of the third quarter, winding up with 2,009 yards on the season. That pushes him past O.J. Simpson, Chris Johnson and Terrell Davis into fourth place on the all-time list.
Peterson went for six yards on his next carry, leaving him 91 shy of Eric Dickerson’s all-time mark. It’s definitely in range, although the score will dictate just how many chances he gets.
The Packers have cut the Vikings lead to 20-17 already and they forced a punt after Peterson became a member of the 2,000-yard club. If they can grab the lead, the Vikings could find themselves having to rely on Christian Ponder more heavily with their playoff future on the line.
That’s probably not a great scenario for Peterson’s shot at the record or the Vikings’ shot at the playoffs.