page_title: Minnesota Vikings
section_title: 2006–2008
hierarchical_section_title: Minnesota Vikings / History / 2000s / 2006–2008
caption_attribution_description: English: AP, HB, playing for the Vikings
context_page_description: The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960, and first took the field for the 1961 season. The team competes in the National Football Conference North division.
  During the 1960s, the Vikings' record was typical for an expansion franchise, but improved over the course of the decade, resulting in a Central Division title in 1968. In 1969, their dominant defense led to a league championship, the last NFL championship prior to the merger of the NFL with the AFL.
  The Vikings are arguably the most successful NFL franchise to never win a Super Bowl. Minnesota ranks sixth all-time in win percentage and seventh overall in combined regular season and postseason wins. The Vikings have won 20 division titles, and have made 30 playoff appearances. The club has appeared in 10 conference championship games, winning four to reach the Super Bowl. They are one of only three teams, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams, to appear in at least one conference title game every decade since the 1970s.
context_section_description: Minnesota began the 2006 season 4–2 (with Childress becoming the first Vikings coach to start his career 2–0), but finished the year at 6–10, receiving the 7th pick in the NFL Draft; with it, the Vikings selected Adrian Peterson out of the University of Oklahoma.
  Peterson's first career touchdown was a 60-yard screen pass against the Atlanta Falcons in his first career game. When the Vikings played the Chicago Bears in Week 6, Peterson broke the record for single game All-Purpose (rushing, receiving, kick returning) yards (361 total yards, 224 rushing). In Week 9, Peterson broke the NFL single game rushing record set by Jamal Lewis in 2003 by rushing for 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers. Despite a strong push in the middle of the season, winning five straight games, the Vikings lost their final two games to finish the season at 8–8 and missed the playoffs.
  In Week 13 of the 2008 season against the Bears, Gus Frerotte hooked up with Bernard Berrian and set the record for longest play in franchise history with a 99-yard touchdown pass. In the 2009 season, Adrian Peterson led the NFL with 1760 rushing yards, breaking the franchise record. The Vikings clinched the NFC North championship for the first time after defeating the New York Giants 20–19 in Week 17, when kicker Ryan Longwell made the game-winning field goal. Peterson had 19 carries for 109 yards and added a touchdown during the game.
  On January 4, 2009, the Vikings hosted the Philadelphia Eagles for the Wild Card round, their first home playoff game in eight years. The Eagles led the Viking 16–14 at halftime and, coming off a 44–6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, went on to defeat the Vikings 26–14. The Eagles would go on to defeat the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants in the Divisional round, only to lose to the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game.
  Since 2006, the Vikings have been known especially for their strong run defense (#1 in the NFL in 2006, 2007, and 2008; they are the first NFL team to accomplish this since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970), anchored by the Williams Wall consisting of defensive tackle Kevin Williams and nose tackle Pat Williams (no relation). With the addition of sack-leader Jared Allen in 2008, the dominant front four began being called by several nicknames, including "Thunder and Plunder" and "Shock and AWE" (an acronym of their surname initials).
caption: All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson was selected 7th overall by the Vikings in the 2007 NFL Draft, and played for the Vikings from 2007 to 2016.
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