Adrian Peterson continues to hunt down Eric Dickerson's record

Adrian Peterson took another big step toward reaching 2,000 yards this season and eclipsing the single-season rushing record owned by Eric Dickerson.

Peterson thrashed the St. Louis Rams for 212 yards in Sunday’s 36-22 victory at the Edward Jones Dome, putting him in position to achieve both goals. Peterson needs 188 yards in his final two games to reach 2,000 and 294 to pass Dickerson.

No one is doubting him after the fourth 200-yard game of his career and his eighth consecutive 100-yard game.

It's been in my sights for awhile," Peterson said of Dickerson’s record, according to Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "It's something that I'm focusing on. It's in the back of my mind, but I want to accomplish that. I want to let the chips fall where they may. I look at today's game, I could have had 300, but it wasn't meant to happen. We got the 'W,' we got closer, let's move on."

The highlight for Peterson was an 82-yard touchdown run.

"It's mental. My mind-set, my willpower, my determination," Peterson said. "I grind hard. When you want to be great -- and in my mind I want to be the greatest that ever played -- you can't talk about it. You have to go out and work."

His toughest task is ahead of him. The Vikings play at Houston on Sunday and the Texans own one of the stingiest run defenses in the NFL. We’ll see where he stands in a week.

Follow me on Twitter: @BradBiggs

Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

Upcoming Games