Adrian Peterson is happy that his incredible performance on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers helped the Minnesota Vikings clinch a playoff spot. He may not hold the NFL record for most rushing yards in a single season, but his team will still be playing in January. In the grand scheme of things, that’s all that matters.
However, Peterson wouldn’t be human if it didn’t sting a little that he fell just nine yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson’s record. When FOX’s Pam Oliver informed him of how close he had come after Sunday’s game, you could tell A.P. was surprised. As Peter King revealed in his Monday Morning Quarterback column, Peterson admits he is disappointed he didn’t get there.
“It kinda went through my mind that I didn’t get it,” he explained. “Was I surprised? Not really. All week there was so much talk about the record, the record, the record. At one point, I just told myself, ‘Don’t worry about the record. Don’t force it. Just play. If it happens, it happens. That can’t be our focus. We win, we’re in the playoffs.'”
Had Peterson fallen short of the mark and the Vikings lost, it would probably hurt a lot more. For now, he is focused on winning a rematch against Green Bay on Saturday. As for Dickerson, A.P. said he is hardly done chasing 2,105.
“I’m coming for you,” he said with a laugh. “Yes. Yes. Yes. The feeling is there. I understand the big picture, but the feeling is there. I wanted this.”
He can still have it. Peterson is only 27 years old and just rushed for more than 2,000 yards after tearing up his knee at the end of the season last year. The fact that he was able to bounce back from that the way he did is unfathomable. Something tells me A.P. is far from finished with making Dickerson squirm.
