An NFL award that many consider to be the highest individual honor a player can receive in a single season was awarded to Minnesota Vikigns RB Adrian Peterson on Saturday night, the first for the organization in more than 35 years.
“It’s truly an honor to be recognized as the league’s most valuable player,” said
Peterson. “While the award is considered an individual achievement, I couldn’t
have had the success that I did without my teammates, my coaches and the Vikings
organization. I’m blessed to be a member of the Vikings, and I hope next year we
can get the ultimate team award by bringing a Super Bowl championship to
Minnesota.”
After rupturing his ACL and MCL on December 24, 2011, Peterson bounced back in 2012 to
post the 2nd-highest rushing total in NFL history, finishing with 2,097 yards
and 12 rushing touchdowns. Peterson’s total fell just eight yards shy of Eric
Dickerson’s NFL record 2,105 yards. Peterson finished more than 400 yards ahead
of the 2nd-leading rusher in 2012 and earned his second career NFL rushing title
(2008).
According to our buddy Wobby at Vikings.com, Peterson led the NFL in rushes of 20+ yards with 27 which is well ahead of CJ Spiller who had the next highest total of 15.
Peterson helped lead the Vikings to the biggest single-season
turnaround in team history, improving from three wins in 2011 to 10 victories
in 2012. Peterson joins QB Fran Tarkenton (1975) and DT Alan Page (1971) as the only Vikings to win the Associated Press MVP award. He becomes the first running back to win MVP
since LaDainian Tomlinson (2006), breaking a streak of five consecutive years
with a quarterback winning the award.
Peterson also earns Offensive Player of the Year and FedEx Ground Player of the
Year Awards
Peterson’s 2012 NFL Records
• 2nd most rushing yards in a Season: 2,097 Adrian Peterson, Minnesota,
2012 1st: 2,105 Eric Dickerson, Los Angeles, 1984
• Most rushing yards in any Month, Season: 861 Adrian Peterson, Minnesota, December
2012 Old: 800 Chris Johnson, Tennessee, November 2009
• Most rushing yards in 10 consecutive games: 1,598 Adrian Peterson, Minnesota, 10/21/12 - 12/30/12 Old: 1,507 Earl Campbell, Houston, 10/12/80 - 12/14/80
• Consecutive games with a 60+ yard run: 3 Adrian Peterson, Minnesota, 10/25/12 -
11/11/12 Tied: 3 Michael Bennett, Minnesota, 11/3/02 - 11/17/02
• Most 50+ yard runs, Season: 7 Adrian Peterson, Minnesota, 2012
Tied: 7 Barry Sanders, Detroit, 1997
• Most 150+ yard games rushing, Season: 7 Adrian Peterson, Minnesota, 2012
Tied: 7 Earl Campbell, Houston, 1980
Peterson’s 2012 Vikings Records
• Most rushing yards, Season: 2,097 Adrian Peterson, 2012
Old: 1,760 Adrian Peterson, 2008
• Most 100+ rushing yards in a Half, Season: 6 Adrian Peterson,
2012 Old: 5 Adrian Peterson, 2008
• Most 200 yard games rushing, Season: 2 Adrian Peterson, 2012
Tied: 2 Adrian Peterson, 2007
• Most 150 yard games rushing, Season: 7 Adrian Peterson, 2007-12
Tied: 3 Adrian Peterson, 2008
• Most 100 yard games rushing, Season: 10 Adrian
Peterson, 2012 Tied: 10 Adrian Peterson, 2008
• Most rushing attempts, Career: 1,754 Adrian Peterson, 2007-12
Old: 1,627 Bill Brown, 1962-74
• Most rushing yards, Career: 8,849 Adrian Peterson,
2007-12 Old: 6,818 Robert Smith, 1993-00
Vikings 2012 Team Records
• Most rushing yards, Season: 2,634 in 2012 Tied: 2,634 in 2007
• Highest rushing average, Season: 5.4 in 2012 Old: 5.3 in 2007
• Most rushing yards per game, Season: 164.6 in 2012 Tied: 164.6 in 2007
• Most 100 rushing yard games by player, Season: 10 in 2012 Tied: 10 in 2008
