Minnesota Vikings: Top 20 games in franchise history
By Dan Zinski
8. Adrian Peterson runs for 296 yards
The NFL record for most rushing yards in a game was held by Baltimore Ravens running back Jamaal Lewis, who had run for 295 yards against the Cleveland Browns in 2003, a record which appeared would stand for a long, long time.
However, that wasn’t the case, as Minnesota Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson was able to best that mark against the San Diego Chargers in 2007.
Peterson was having a great day against the Chargers run defense, breaking off some big runs including touchdowns of 64 and 46 yards. Near the end of the game, Vikings executive Bob Hagan took a look at his monitor and saw that Peterson had rushed for 293 yards in the game and needed only two yards to tie Lewis’ record.
He immediately alerted head coach Brad Childress of the situation. Childress sent Adrian Peterson back out on the field to see if the star running back could pick up any more yards in the lopsided 35-17 game.
Peterson took the handoff from quarterback Brooks Bollinger and rumbled forward for three yards, breaking the rushing record and having the Minnesota Vikings running back end the day with 296 rushing yards after Bollinger took a knee to end the game.
It was a fitting end to a dominating performance from the young player who would later go on to win the Most Valuable Player award and challenge for the NFL’s single season rushing record.