page_title: Adrian Peterson
section_title: 2007 season
hierarchical_section_title: Adrian Peterson / Professional career / Minnesota Vikings / 2007 season
caption_attribution_description: Adrian Peterson, running back for the Minnesota Vikings and National Football Conference (NFC) all-star team, splits defenders during the NFL Pro Bowl game at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, Feb. 10, 2008. The NFC defeated the American Football Conference by a score of 42 to 30 and Peterson was named the MVP of the Pro Bowl, after rushing for 129 yards and two touchdowns. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James E. Foehl) (Released) (Released to Public)
context_page_description: Adrian Lewis Peterson is an American football running back for the Washington Football Team of the National Football League. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the freshman rushing record with 1,925 yards during the 2004 season. Named a unanimous All-American that year, he became the first freshman to finish as a runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Peterson finished his college football career as the Sooners' third all-time leading rusher. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.
  He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings seventh overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. As a rookie he set an NFL record for the most rushing yards in a single game and was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was then awarded the MVP award for his performance in the Pro Bowl and became only the fifth player in NFL history to have more than 3,000 yards through his first two seasons. In 2010, he became the fifth fastest player to run for 5,000 yards, doing so in his 51st game.
context_section_description: Peterson began his outstanding rookie year with high expectations for himself; he announced ambitious goals including being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and rushing for 1,341 yards during the course of the year. Just 11 weeks into his rookie season with the Vikings, Peterson was well on his way to Dickerson's record and considered one of the elite running backs in the NFL.
  On August 10, 2007, Peterson made his professional debut in a preseason game against the St. Louis Rams. Peterson ran for 33 yards on 11 carries with one catch for two yards. On September 9, 2007, Peterson ran for 103 yards on 19 carries in his first NFL regular season game against the Atlanta Falcons. In addition to his rushing yardage, he scored his first professional football touchdown on a 60-yard pass reception from quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. Over his first three regular season games, his 431 yards (271 rushing & 160 receiving) from scrimmage are a team record. For his performance in the three games, Peterson received the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month award for both September and October 2007.
  His breakout game as a professional came on October 14, 2007 against the Chicago Bears, highlighted by a three-touchdown performance and a then-franchise record of 224 rushing yards on 20 carries. Peterson established additional team records for a rookie during this game, which included the most 100-yard games rushing and the longest touchdown run from scrimmage. He also set an NFL rookie record with 361 all-purpose yards in a single game. His 607 rushing yards through the first five games of the season is second in NFL history to Eric Dickerson. For his performance, he was named the Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career. Following Peterson's record performance, Deion Sanders, now an NFL Network analyst, said about him: "He has the vision of a Marshall Faulk, the power of an Earl Campbell, and the speed of an Eric Dickerson. Let's pray he has the endurance of an Emmitt Smith." He has also been compared to Walter Payton and Tony Dorsett by Star Tribune sports journalist Jim Souhan.
  Three weeks later, on November 4, 2007, Peterson broke his own franchise record as well as the NFL single game rushing yard record (previously held by Jamal Lewis since 2003) when he rushed for 296 yards on 30 carries and three touchdowns against the San Diego Chargers in a home game in Minneapolis. That game was his second game of over 200 rushing yards, a feat no other rookie has ever accomplished in a season. His historic performance earned him his second Offensive Player of the Week title in his rookie season. In addition to the NFL rushing record in a single game, it took him past 1,000 rushing yards for the year after just eight games. His 1,036 rushing yards represents the best eight-game performance by a rookie in NFL history.
  In honor of Peterson's record-breaking performance against the San Diego Chargers, the jersey he wore that day was sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On November 11, 2007, just a week later, Peterson injured the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee in a game against the Green Bay Packers. The injury occurred in the third quarter of a 34–0 defeat at Lambeau Field on a low tackle by Packers cornerback Al Harris. Almost a month after the injury, Peterson returned to action on December 2, 2007 against the Detroit Lions scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 116 yards.
  On December 17, 2007, Peterson played in his first Monday Night Football game, where he had 78 rushing yards, 17 receiving yards, and two touchdowns against the Chicago Bears. The next day, he was named as the starting running back for the 2008 NFC Pro Bowl team. On January 2, he was named The Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was named to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team for the 2007 season.
  On February 10, 2008, Peterson won the 2008 NFL Pro Bowl MVP award with 16 carries for 129 rushing yards along with two touchdowns. The 129 rushing yards was the second most in Pro Bowl history. He was the firs
caption: Peterson splitting defenders in the 2008 Pro Bowl
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