NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">NFL FG SDG NATE KAEDING 36 YD SAN DIEGO 17 MINNESOTA 21 14:09 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">NFL SAN DIEGO 17 MINNESOTA 21 14:09 LEFT, 4TH QTR MIN BALL ON MIN 20 YD LINE 1ST AND 10</div>
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">NFL SAN DIEGO 17 MINNESOTA 21 10:07 LEFT, 4TH QTR SDG BALL ON SDG 22 YD LINE 1ST AND 10</div>
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">NFL SAN DIEGO 17 MINNESOTA 21 7:54 LEFT, 4TH QTR MIN BALL ON SDG 46 YD LINE 1ST AND 10</div>
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">NFL TD MIN ADRIAN PETERSON 46 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK) SAN DIEGO 17 MINNESOTA 28 7:44 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">NFL SAN DIEGO 17 MINNESOTA 28 7:30 LEFT, 4TH QTR MIN BALL ON SDG 40 YD LINE 1ST AND 10</div>
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">NFL TD MIN CHESTER TAYLOR 2 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK) SAN DIEGO 17 MINNESOTA 35 4:28 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">NFL SAN DIEGO 17 MINNESOTA 35 4:22 LEFT, 4TH QTR SDG BALL ON SDG 38 YD LINE 1ST AND 10</div>
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">NFL TWO MINUTE WARNING, 2ND HALF SAN DIEGO 17 MINNESOTA 35 MIN BALL ON MIN 10 YD LINE 1ST AND 10</div>
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">NFL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL --- --- --- --- ----- SAN DIEGO 7 7 0 3 17 MINNESOTA 7 0 14 14 35 FINAL SCORING SUMMARY 1ST QUARTER: SDG - TD, LADAINIAN TOMLINSON 1 YD RUN (NATE KAEDING KICK), 9:16. Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards in 5:39. Key plays: Rivers 22-yard pass to Naanee to Minnesota 28; Rivers 17-yard pass to Naanee on 3rd-and-12 to Minnesota 13; Tomlinson 11-yard run plus 1-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Vikings' Smith to Minnesota 1. SAN DIEGO 7-0 MIN - TD, ADRIAN PETERSON 1 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK), 12:11. Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards in 2:55. Key plays: Allison 62-yard kickoff return to San Diego 39; Peterson 17-yard run to San Diego 5. SAN DIEGO 7-7 2ND QUARTER: SDG - TD, ANTONIO CROMARTIE 109 YD RETURN OF ATTEMPTED FIELD GOAL (NATE KAEDING KICK), 15:00. SAN DIEGO 14-7 3RD QUARTER: MIN - TD, ADRIAN PETERSON 65 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK), 2:16. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards in 2:16. Key plays: Bollinger 5-yard pass to Ferguson on 3rd-and-4 to Minnesota 28. SAN DIEGO 14-14 MIN - TD, SIDNEY RICE 40 YD PASS FROM BROOKS BOLLINGER (RYAN LONGWELL KICK), 11:53. Drive: 6 plays, 81 yards in 3:37. Key plays: Peterson 10-yard run to Minnesota 35; Peterson 13-yard run to Minnesota 48. MINNESOTA 21-14 4TH QUARTER: SDG - FG, NATE KAEDING 36 YD, 0:51. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards in 3:58. Key plays: Rivers 16-yard pass to V Jackson to San Diego 36; Rivers 10-yard pass to Gates to San Diego 46; Rivers 16-yard pass to Chambers to Minnesota 48; Rivers 19-yard pass to Chambers on 3rd-and-9 to Minnesota 34. MINNESOTA 21-17 MIN - TD, ADRIAN PETERSON 46 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK), 7:16. Drive: 1 plays, 46 yards in 0:10. Key plays: Moore 42-yard punt return to San Diegeo 46. MINNESOTA 28-17 MIN - TD, CHESTER TAYLOR 2 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK), 10:32. Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards in 3:02. Key plays: Gordon interception at San Diego 25 plus 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Vikings' Gordon to San Diego 40; Taylor 34-yard run to San Diego 9. MINNESOTA 35-17 ATT: 63,043</div>
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">** CONFIRMED ** NFL SAN DIEGO 17 MINNESOTA 35 FINAL</div>
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">NFL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL --- --- --- --- ----- SAN DIEGO 7 7 0 3 17 MINNESOTA 7 0 14 14 35 FINAL SCORING SUMMARY 1ST QUARTER: 9:16 SDG - TD, LADAINIAN TOMLINSON 1 YD RUN (NATE KAEDING KICK). Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards in 5:39. Key plays: Rivers 22-yard pass to Naanee to Minnesota 28; Rivers 17-yard pass to Naanee on 3rd-and-12 to Minnesota 13; Tomlinson 11-yard run plus 1-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Vikings' Smith to Minnesota 1. SAN DIEGO 7-0. 12:11 MIN - TD, ADRIAN PETERSON 1 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK). Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards in 2:55. Key plays: Allison 62-yard kickoff return to San Diego 39; Peterson 17-yard run to San Diego 5. SAN DIEGO 7-7. 2ND QUARTER: 15:00 SDG - TD, ANTONIO CROMARTIE 109 YD RETURN OF ATTEMPTED FIELD GOAL (NATE KAEDING KICK). SAN DIEGO 14-7. 3RD QUARTER: 2:16 MIN - TD, ADRIAN PETERSON 65 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK). Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards in 2:16. Key plays: Bollinger 5-yard pass to Ferguson on 3rd-and-4 to Minnesota 28. SAN DIEGO 14-14. 11:53 MIN - TD, SIDNEY RICE 40 YD PASS FROM BROOKS BOLLINGER (RYAN LONGWELL KICK). Drive: 6 plays, 81 yards in 3:37. Key plays: Peterson 10-yard run to Minnesota 35; Peterson 13-yard run to Minnesota 48. MINNESOTA 21-14. 4TH QUARTER: 0:51 SDG - FG, NATE KAEDING 36 YD. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards in 3:58. Key plays: Rivers 16-yard pass to V Jackson to San Diego 36; Rivers 10-yard pass to Gates to San Diego 46; Rivers 16-yard pass to Chambers to Minnesota 48; Rivers 19-yard pass to Chambers on 3rd-and-9 to Minnesota 34. MINNESOTA 21-17. 7:16 MIN - TD, ADRIAN PETERSON 46 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK). Drive: 1 plays, 46 yards in 0:10. Key plays: Moore 42-yard punt return to San Diegeo 46. MINNESOTA 28-17. 10:32 MIN - TD, CHESTER TAYLOR 2 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK). Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards in 3:02. Key plays: Gordon interception at San Diego 25 plus 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Vikings' Gordon to San Diego 40; Taylor 34-yard run to San Diego 9. MINNESOTA 35-17. SAN DIEGO - MINNESOTA Final Statistics TEAM STATISTICS SAN DIEGO MINNESOTA FIRST DOWNS 14 26 Rushing 4 14 Passing 7 8 Penalty 3 4 THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 4-16-25% 6-13-46% FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-1-0% 1-1-100% TOTAL NET YARDS 229 528 Total offensive plays 63 66 Average gain per play 3.6 8.0 NET YARDS RUSHING 42 378 Rushing attempts 20 43 Average gain per rush 2.1 8.8 Tackles for loss-yards 5-7 3-6 NET YARDS PASSING 187 150 Times sacked: Number-Yards 1-10 1-8 Gross passing yards 197 158 PASS ATTEMPTS-COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 42-19-1 22-13-0 Avg gain per pass play 4.3 6.5 KICKOFFS: Number-In End Zone-Touchbacks 3-3-1 6-4-2 PUNTS: Number and Average 8-54.9 5-44.6 Had blocked 0 0 Net punting average 51.3 32.8 TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (Not including kickoffs) 29 59 Number-Yards: Punt Returns 2-29 4-59 Number-Yards: Kickoff Returns 4-122 2-80 Number-Yards: Interception Returns 0-0 1-0 PENALTIES: Number-Yards 10-67 11-81 FUMBLES: Number-Lost 3-1 3-2 TOUCHDOWNS 2 5 Rushing 1 4 Passing 0 1 Interceptions 0 0 Other (blocked kicks, etc.) 1 0 EXTRA POINTS: Made-Attempts 2-2 5-5 Kicking: Made-Attempts 2-2 5-5 Passing: Made-Attempts 0-0 0-0 Rushing: Made-Attempts 0-0 0-0 FIELD GOALS: Made-Attempts 1-1 0-1 FGs - PATs had blocked 0-0 0-0 RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 1-3-33% 2-3-67% GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 2-3-67% SAFETIES 0 0 TIME OF POSSESSION 25:51 34:07 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS SAN DIEGO MINNESOTA RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- L TOMLINSO 16 40 2.5 11 1 A PETERSON 30 296 9.9 64 3 P RIVERS 3 5 1.7 5 0 C TAYLOR 9 60 6.7 34 1 M TURNER 1 -3 -3.0 0 0 T JACKSON 2 19 9.5 10 0 T RICHARDS 1 4 4.0 4 0 B BOLLINGE 1 -1 -1.0 0 0 PASSING CM-AT-YDS IN TD LG PASSING CM-AT-YDS IN TD LG -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- P RIVERS 19-42-197 1 0 22 B BOLLINGE 7-10- 95 0 1 40 T JACKSON 6-12- 63 0 0 19 Sacked-Yards Lost: P RIVERS 1-10. Sacked-Yards Lost: B BOLLINGE 1-8. RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- L TOMLINSO 6 37 6.2 10 0 S RICE 4 66 16.5 40 1 C CHAMBERS 5 59 11.8 19 0 R FERGUSON 3 24 8.0 11 0 L NAANEE 2 39 19.5 22 0 C TAYLOR 2 23 11.5 16 0 K OSGOOD 2 23 11.5 15 0 V SHIANCOE 2 14 7.0 8 0 B MANUMALE 2 13 6.5 7 0 A PETERSON 1 19 19.0 19 0 V JACKSON 1 16 16.0 16 0 B WADE 1 12 12.0 12 0 A GATES 1 10 10.0 10 0 INTERCEPTIONS NO YDS AVG LG TD INTERCEPTIONS NO YDS AVG LG TD -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- C GORDON 1 0 0.0 0 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG T I LG PUNTING NO YDS AVG T I LG -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- M SCIFRES 8 439 54.9 1 5 65 C KLUWE 5 223 44.6 0 0 68 T = Touchbacks, I = Inside 20 PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- D SPROLES 2 29 14.5 19 0 M MOORE 4 59 14.8 42 0 KICKOFF RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD KICKOFF RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- D SPROLES 4 122 30.5 43 0 A ALLISON 2 80 40.0 62 0 KICKING XP/XPA FG/FGA KICKING XP/XPA FG/FGA ---------------------------------- ---------------------------------- N KAEDING 2/2 1/1 R LONGWELL 5/5 0/1 Dist.: 36 Dist.: (57) O-D O-D FUMBLES NO LOST FF REC FUMBLES NO LOST FF REC ------------------------------------ ------------------------------------ P RIVERS 3 1 0 2-0 A PETERSON 1 1 0 0-0 S COOPER 0 0 1 0-0 C TAYLOR 1 1 0 0-0 D FLORENCE 0 0 0 0-1 B BOLLINGER 1 0 0 0-0 M MCCREE 0 0 0 0-1 R EDWARDS 0 0 1 0-0 C GREENWAY 0 0 0 0-1 DEFENSE TK SO AS SK-YD DEFENSE TK SO AS SK-YD ------------------------------------ ------------------------------------ M WILHELM 14 11 3 0-0 E HENDERSON 7 6 1 0-0 C HART 6 5 1 0-0 B LEBER 5 4 1 0-0 S COOPER 6 4 2 0-0 C GRIFFIN 4 4 0 0-0 M MCCREE 5 4 1 0-0 M MCCAULEY 4 4 0 0-0 S MERRIMAN 5 4 1 0-0 P WILLIAMS 4 2 2 0-0 D FLORENCE 4 4 0 0-0 C GREENWAY 4 2 2 0-0 J WILLIAMS 4 3 1 0-0 D SMITH 3 3 0 0-0 L CASTILLO 3 3 0 1-8 K UDEZE 2 2 0 0-0 Q JAMMER 3 2 1 0-0 T WILLIAMS 2 2 0 0-0 C POLK 2 2 0 0-0 R EDWARDS 1 1 0 1-10 A CROMARTIE 2 2 0 0-0 D SHARPER 1 1 0 0-0 I OLSHANSKY 2 1 1 0-0 C GORDON 1 1 0 0-0 R BINGHAM 1 1 0 0-0 F EVANS 1 1 0 0-0 E WEDDLE 1 1 0 0-0 K WILLIAMS 1 1 0 0-0 M HARRIS 1 0 1 0-0 E JAMES 1 0 1 0-0 J CESAIRE 1 0 1 0-0 C GORDON 1 0 1 0-0 Att: 63,043</div>
By Brian Hall Special to PA SportsTicker MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- The speculation was that MinnesotaVikings rookie Adrian Peterson already has become the league'sbest running back. In a matchup against the reigning MVPLaDainian Tomlinson, Peterson added to the argument. Peterson rushed for an NFL-record 296 yards, leading theMinnesota Vikings to a 35-17 victory over the San Diego Chargerson Sunday. Proving unstoppable with his combination of speed and power,Peterson needed 30 carries to etch his name in the NFLrecord book in just his eighth game. Peterson broke the record set by Jamal Lewis, who rushed for 295yards for Baltimore against Cleveland on September 14, 2003. Peterson set the new record by plowing up the middle for threeyards with under two minutes remaining. He received a standingovation from the crowd at the Metrodome. The cheers were plenty for Peterson, who also had touchdown runsof 1, 64 and 46 yards. It was the second 200-yard game of theseason for Peterson, who leads the league with 1,006 yards onthe ground. There also was some other history in the game. San Diego cornerback Antonio Cromartie set an NFL record for thelongest play in league history when he returned a missed fieldgoal 109 yards on the final play of the first half, givingthe Chargers (4-4) a 14-7 lead. Tomlinson's numbers were nothing in comparison to Peterson. Thereigning MVP carried 16 times for just 40 yards and a touchdown. Tomlinson's 1-yard score in the first quarter did give him 107career TDS, passing Jim Brown for fourth on the all-time list. Two stout run defenses didn't allow the two backs much in thefirst half, but the rookie got going in the second. Tomlinsononly had 35 yards rushing in the first half, while Peterson satat 43. On the opening drive of the second half, Minnesota (3-5)started at its own 17-yard line and went 83 yards in six plays,capped by Peterson's second touchdown of the game. He took ahandoff from Brooks Bollinger, went off the left side and washardly touched as outran the defense to the end zone for 64yards, tying the game at 14-14. Two possessions later, the Vikings started at their own 19-yardline. After Peterson tallied 34 yards on the ground and ChesterTaylor added another seven, Bollinger hit rookie Sidney Ricedown the right sideline for a 40-yard touchdown, giving theVikings the lead for good. Peterson's 46-yard jaunt with 7:44 remaining gave the Vikingsa 28-17 advantage. Chester Taylor added a 2-yard TD with 3:02left to give the Vikings the final margin. Thanks to Peterson and Taylor, who carried nine times for 60yards, the Vikings rushed for 378 yards. They had 528 totalyards. Bollinger was in the game for starting quarterback TarvarisJackson, who left the contest with a head injury and did notreturn. Playing in relief for the second straight game,Bollinger completed 7-for-10 passes for 95 yards and the onetouchdown. Jackson was 6-for-12 for 63 yards before being carted off thefield at the end of the first half. W ith less than a minuteleft, Jackson scrambled up the middle for 10 yards, but wassandwiched between the Chargers linebackers Shawne Merriman andStephen Cooper. Peterson's big plays were needed as San Diego took the momentuminto halftime. Minnesota's Ryan Longwell attempted a 57-yard field goal as timeexpired that fell short. Cromartie was back to receive apotential miss and took it 109 yards for a touchdown with notime left of the clock. Tomlinson opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run in thefirst quarter, but Peterson and the Vikings immediately answeredwith their own scoring drive, finished off by Peterson running1 yard up the middle for the touchdown. It was a horrific day for Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers,who completed 19-of-42 passes for 197 yards and an interception.He also fumbled three times, losing one.
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">NFL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL --- --- --- --- ----- SAN DIEGO 7 7 0 3 17 MINNESOTA 7 0 14 14 35 FINAL SCORING SUMMARY 1ST QUARTER: SDG - TD, LADAINIAN TOMLINSON 1 YD RUN (NATE KAEDING KICK), 9:16. Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards in 5:39. Key plays: Rivers 22-yard pass to Naanee to Minnesota 28; Rivers 17-yard pass to Naanee on 3rd-and-12 to Minnesota 13; Tomlinson 11-yard run plus 1-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Vikings' Smith to Minnesota 1. SAN DIEGO 7-0 MIN - TD, ADRIAN PETERSON 1 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK), 12:11. Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards in 2:55. Key plays: Allison 62-yard kickoff return to San Diego 39; Peterson 17-yard run to San Diego 5. SAN DIEGO 7-7 2ND QUARTER: SDG - TD, ANTONIO CROMARTIE 109 YD RETURN OF ATTEMPTED FIELD GOAL (NATE KAEDING KICK), 15:00. SAN DIEGO 14-7 3RD QUARTER: MIN - TD, ADRIAN PETERSON 64 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK), 2:16. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards in 2:16. Key plays: Bollinger 5-yard pass to Ferguson on 3rd-and-4 to Minnesota 28. SAN DIEGO 14-14 MIN - TD, SIDNEY RICE 40 YD PASS FROM BROOKS BOLLINGER (RYAN LONGWELL KICK), 11:53. Drive: 6 plays, 81 yards in 3:37. Key plays: Peterson 10-yard run to Minnesota 35; Peterson 13-yard run to Minnesota 48. MINNESOTA 21-14 4TH QUARTER: SDG - FG, NATE KAEDING 36 YD, 0:51. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards in 3:58. Key plays: Rivers 16-yard pass to Jackson to San Diego 36; Rivers 10-yard pass to Gates to San Diego 46; Rivers 16-yard pass to Chambers to Minnesota 48; Rivers 19-yard pass to Chambers on 3rd-and-9 to Minnesota 34. MINNESOTA 21-17 MIN - TD, ADRIAN PETERSON 46 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK), 7:16. Drive: 1 plays, 46 yards in 0:10. Key plays: Moore 42-yard punt return to San Diego 46. MINNESOTA 28-17 MIN - TD, CHESTER TAYLOR 2 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK), 10:32. Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards in 3:02. Key plays: Gordon interception at San Diego 25 plus 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Vikings' Gordon to San Diego 40; Taylor 34-yard run to San Diego 9. MINNESOTA 35-17 ATT: 63,043</div>
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">NFL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL --- --- --- --- ----- SAN DIEGO 7 7 0 3 17 MINNESOTA 7 0 14 14 35 FINAL SCORING SUMMARY 1ST QUARTER: 9:16 SDG - TD, LADAINIAN TOMLINSON 1 YD RUN (NATE KAEDING KICK). Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards in 5:39. Key plays: Rivers 22-yard pass to Naanee to Minnesota 28; Rivers 17-yard pass to Naanee on 3rd-and-12 to Minnesota 13; Tomlinson 11-yard run plus 1-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Vikings' Smith to Minnesota 1. SAN DIEGO 7-0. 12:11 MIN - TD, ADRIAN PETERSON 1 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK). Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards in 2:55. Key plays: Allison 62-yard kickoff return to San Diego 39; Peterson 17-yard run to San Diego 5. SAN DIEGO 7-7. 2ND QUARTER: 15:00 SDG - TD, ANTONIO CROMARTIE 109 YD RETURN OF ATTEMPTED FIELD GOAL (NATE KAEDING KICK). SAN DIEGO 14-7. 3RD QUARTER: 2:16 MIN - TD, ADRIAN PETERSON 64 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK). Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards in 2:16. Key plays: Bollinger 5-yard pass to Ferguson on 3rd-and-4 to Minnesota 28. SAN DIEGO 14-14. 11:53 MIN - TD, SIDNEY RICE 40 YD PASS FROM BROOKS BOLLINGER (RYAN LONGWELL KICK). Drive: 6 plays, 81 yards in 3:37. Key plays: Peterson 10-yard run to Minnesota 35; Peterson 13-yard run to Minnesota 48. MINNESOTA 21-14. 4TH QUARTER: 0:51 SDG - FG, NATE KAEDING 36 YD. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards in 3:58. Key plays: Rivers 16-yard pass to Jackson to San Diego 36; Rivers 10-yard pass to Gates to San Diego 46; Rivers 16-yard pass to Chambers to Minnesota 48; Rivers 19-yard pass to Chambers on 3rd-and-9 to Minnesota 34. MINNESOTA 21-17. 7:16 MIN - TD, ADRIAN PETERSON 46 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK). Drive: 1 plays, 46 yards in 0:10. Key plays: Moore 42-yard punt return to San Diego 46. MINNESOTA 28-17. 10:32 MIN - TD, CHESTER TAYLOR 2 YD RUN (RYAN LONGWELL KICK). Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards in 3:02. Key plays: Gordon interception at San Diego 25 plus 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Vikings' Gordon to San Diego 40; Taylor 34-yard run to San Diego 9. MINNESOTA 35-17. SAN DIEGO - MINNESOTA Final Statistics TEAM STATISTICS SAN DIEGO MINNESOTA FIRST DOWNS 14 26 Rushing 4 14 Passing 7 8 Penalty 3 4 THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 4-16-25% 6-13-46% FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-1-0% 1-1-100% TOTAL NET YARDS 229 528 Total offensive plays 63 66 Average gain per play 3.6 8.0 NET YARDS RUSHING 42 378 Rushing attempts 20 43 Average gain per rush 2.1 8.8 Tackles for loss-yards 5-7 3-6 NET YARDS PASSING 187 150 Times sacked: Number-Yards 1-10 1-8 Gross passing yards 197 158 PASS ATTEMPTS-COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 42-19-1 22-13-0 Avg gain per pass play 4.3 6.5 KICKOFFS: Number-In End Zone-Touchbacks 3-3-1 6-4-2 PUNTS: Number and Average 8-54.9 5-44.6 Had blocked 0 0 Net punting average 51.3 32.8 TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (Not including kickoffs) 29 59 Number-Yards: Punt Returns 2-29 4-59 Number-Yards: Kickoff Returns 4-122 2-80 Number-Yards: Interception Returns 0-0 1-0 PENALTIES: Number-Yards 10-67 11-81 FUMBLES: Number-Lost 3-1 2-2 TOUCHDOWNS 2 5 Rushing 1 4 Passing 0 1 Interceptions 0 0 Other (blocked kicks, etc.) 1 0 EXTRA POINTS: Made-Attempts 2-2 5-5 Kicking: Made-Attempts 2-2 5-5 Passing: Made-Attempts 0-0 0-0 Rushing: Made-Attempts 0-0 0-0 FIELD GOALS: Made-Attempts 1-1 0-1 FGs - PATs had blocked 0-0 0-0 RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 1-3-33% 2-3-67% GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 2-3-67% SAFETIES 0 0 TIME OF POSSESSION 25:53 34:07 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS SAN DIEGO MINNESOTA RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- L TOMLINSO 16 40 2.5 11 1 A PETERSON 30 296 9.9 64 3 P RIVERS 3 5 1.7 5 0 C TAYLOR 9 60 6.7 34 1 M TURNER 1 -3 -3.0 0 0 T JACKSON 2 19 9.5 10 0 T RICHARDS 1 4 4.0 4 0 B BOLLINGE 1 -1 -1.0 0 0 PASSING CM-AT-YDS IN TD LG PASSING CM-AT-YDS IN TD LG -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- P RIVERS 19-42-197 1 0 22 B BOLLINGE 7-10- 95 0 1 40 T JACKSON 6-12- 63 0 0 19 Sacked-Yards Lost: P RIVERS 1-10. Sacked-Yards Lost: B BOLLINGE 1-8. RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- L TOMLINSO 6 37 6.2 10 0 S RICE 4 66 16.5 40 1 C CHAMBERS 5 59 11.8 19 0 R FERGUSON 3 24 8.0 11 0 L NAANEE 2 39 19.5 22 0 C TAYLOR 2 23 11.5 16 0 K OSGOOD 2 23 11.5 15 0 V SHIANCOE 2 14 7.0 8 0 B MANUMALE 2 13 6.5 7 0 A PETERSON 1 19 19.0 19 0 V JACKSON 1 16 16.0 16 0 B WADE 1 12 12.0 12 0 A GATES 1 10 10.0 10 0 INTERCEPTIONS NO YDS AVG LG TD INTERCEPTIONS NO YDS AVG LG TD -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- C GORDON 1 0 0.0 0 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG T I LG PUNTING NO YDS AVG T I LG -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- M SCIFRES 8 439 54.9 1 5 65 C KLUWE 5 223 44.6 0 0 68 T = Touchbacks, I = Inside 20 PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- D SPROLES 2 29 14.5 19 0 M MOORE 4 59 14.8 42 0 KICKOFF RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD KICKOFF RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- D SPROLES 4 122 30.5 43 0 A ALLISON 2 80 40.0 62 0 KICKING XP/XPA FG/FGA KICKING XP/XPA FG/FGA ---------------------------------- ---------------------------------- N KAEDING 2/2 1/1 R LONGWELL 5/5 0/1 Dist.: 36 Dist.: (57) O-D O-D FUMBLES NO LOST FF REC FUMBLES NO LOST FF REC ------------------------------------ ------------------------------------ P RIVERS 3 1 0 2-0 A PETERSON 1 1 0 0-0 S COOPER 0 0 1 0-0 C TAYLOR 1 1 0 0-0 D FLORENCE 0 0 0 0-1 R EDWARDS 0 0 1 0-0 M MCCREE 0 0 0 0-1 C GREENWAY 0 0 0 0-1 DEFENSE TK SO AS SK-YD DEFENSE TK SO AS SK-YD ------------------------------------ ------------------------------------ M WILHELM 14 11 3 0-0 E HENDERSON 7 6 1 0-0 C HART 6 5 1 0-0 B LEBER 5 4 1 0-0 S COOPER 6 4 2 0-0 C GRIFFIN 4 4 0 0-0 M MCCREE 5 4 1 0-0 M MCCAULEY 4 4 0 0-0 S MERRIMAN 5 4 1 0-0 P WILLIAMS 4 2 2 0-0 D FLORENCE 4 4 0 0-0 C GREENWAY 4 2 2 0-0 J WILLIAMS 4 3 1 0-0 D SMITH 3 3 0 0-0 L CASTILLO 3 3 0 1-8 K UDEZE 2 2 0 0-0 Q JAMMER 3 2 1 0-0 T WILLIAMS 2 2 0 0-0 C POLK 2 2 0 0-0 R EDWARDS 1 1 0 1-10 A CROMARTIE 2 2 0 0-0 D SHARPER 1 1 0 0-0 I OLSHANSKY 2 1 1 0-0 C GORDON 1 1 0 0-0 R BINGHAM 1 1 0 0-0 F EVANS 1 1 0 0-0 E WEDDLE 1 1 0 0-0 K WILLIAMS 1 1 0 0-0 M HARRIS 1 0 1 0-0 E JAMES 1 0 1 0-0 J CESAIRE 1 0 1 0-0 C GORDON 1 0 1 0-0 Officials: Referee-Mike Carey, Umpire-Dan Ferrell, Head Linesman-Kent Payne, Line Judge-Mark Perlman, Field Judge-Buddy Horton, Side Judge-Tom Fincken, Back Judge-Bill Schmitz. Att: 63,043 Time of Game: 3:24</div>
NFL: SAN DIEGO at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">** CONFIRMED ** NFL SAN DIEGO 17 MINNESOTA 35 FINAL</div>
By Brian Hall Special to PA SportsTicker MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- The speculation was that MinnesotaVikings rookie Adrian Peterson already has become the league'sbest running back. In a matchup against the reigning MVPLaDainian Tomlinson, Peterson added to the argument. Peterson rushed for an NFL-record 296 yards, leading theMinnesota Vikings to a 35-17 victory over the San Diego Chargerson Sunday. Proving unstoppable with his combination of speed and power,Peterson needed 30 carries to etch his name in the NFLrecord book in just his eighth game. Peterson broke the record set by Jamal Lewis, who rushed for 295yards for Baltimore against Cleveland on September 14, 2003. Peterson set the new record by plowing up the middle for threeyards with under two minutes remaining. He received a standingovation from the crowd at the Metrodome. The cheers were plenty for Peterson, who also had touchdown runsof 1, 64 and 46 yards. It was the second 200-yard game of theseason for Peterson, who leads the league with 1,036 yards onthe ground. There also was some other history in the game. San Diego cornerback Antonio Cromartie set an NFL record for thelongest play in league history when he returned a missed fieldgoal 109 yards on the final play of the first half, givingthe Chargers (4-4) a 14-7 lead. Tomlinson's numbers were nothing in comparison to Peterson. Thereigning MVP carried 16 times for just 40 yards and a touchdown. Tomlinson's 1-yard score in the first quarter did give him 107career TDS, passing Jim Brown for fourth on the all-time list. Two stout run defenses didn't allow the two backs much in thefirst half, but the rookie got going in the second. Tomlinsononly had 35 yards rushing in the first half, while Peterson satat 43. On the opening drive of the second half, Minnesota (3-5)started at its own 17-yard line and went 83 yards in six plays,capped by Peterson's second touchdown of the game. He took ahandoff from Brooks Bollinger, went off the left side and washardly touched as outran the defense to the end zone for 64yards, tying the game at 14-14. Two possessions later, the Vikings started at their own 19-yardline. After Peterson tallied 34 yards on the ground and ChesterTaylor added another seven, Bollinger hit rookie Sidney Ricedown the right sideline for a 40-yard touchdown, giving theVikings the lead for good. Peterson's 46-yard jaunt with 7:44 remaining gave the Vikingsa 28-17 advantage. Chester Taylor added a 2-yard TD with 3:02left to give the Vikings the final margin. Thanks to Peterson and Taylor, who carried nine times for 60yards, the Vikings rushed for 378 yards. They had 528 totalyards. Bollinger was in the game for starting quarterback TarvarisJackson, who left the contest with a head injury and did notreturn. Playing in relief for the second straight game,Bollinger completed 7-for-10 passes for 95 yards and the onetouchdown. Jackson was 6-for-12 for 63 yards before being carted off thefield at the end of the first half. W ith less than a minuteleft, Jackson scrambled up the middle for 10 yards, but wassandwiched between the Chargers linebackers Shawne Merriman andStephen Cooper. Peterson's big plays were needed as San Diego took the momentuminto halftime. Minnesota's Ryan Longwell attempted a 57-yard field goal as timeexpired that fell short. Cromartie was back to receive apotential miss and took it 109 yards for a touchdown with notime left of the clock. Tomlinson opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run in thefirst quarter, but Peterson and the Vikings immediately answeredwith their own scoring drive, finished off by Peterson running1 yard up the middle for the touchdown. It was a horrific day for Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers,who completed 19-of-42 passes for 197 yards and an interception.He also fumbled three times, losing one.
By Brian Hall Special to PA SportsTicker MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- The speculation was that MinnesotaVikings rookie Adrian Peterson already has become the league'sbest running back. In a matchup against the reigning MVPLaDainian Tomlinson, Peterson added to the argument. Peterson rushed for an NFL-record 296 yards, leading theMinnesota Vikings to a 35-17 victory over the San Diego Chargerson Sunday. Proving unstoppable with his combination of speed and power,Peterson needed 30 carries to etch his name in the NFL recordbook in just his eighth game. Peterson broke the record set by Jamal Lewis, who rushed for 295yards for Baltimore against Cleveland on September 14, 2003. "I wouldn't say surprised," Peterson said when he heard of hisclimbing yardage numbers. "With the mindset that I had, and theguys I have up front, I know anything is possible. That is why Icontinue to work on the things, working hard in practice likeit's a game, and really, just keeping myself in shape and readyto go out and make things happen on Sunday." Peterson set the new record by plowing up the middle for threeyards with under two minutes remaining. He received a standingovation from the crowd at the Metrodome. The cheers were plenty for Peterson, who also had touchdown runsof 1, 64 and 46 yards. It was the second 200-yard game of theseason for Peterson, who leads the league with 1,036 yards onthe ground. There also was some other history in the game. San Diego cornerback Antonio Cromartie set an NFL record for thelongest play in league history when he returned a missed fieldgoal 109 yards on the final play of the first half, giving theChargers (4-4) a 14-7 lead. "Honestly, I mean, when I caught the ball I looked and saweveryone going over to the sidelines. I started walking out ofthe end zone and then just took off," Cromartie said. "I hadgreat blocks by Eric Weddle, Shawne Merriman, and guys likethat. They lead me into the end zone, so without them, I do notthink I would have done it." Tomlinson's numbers were nothing in comparison to Peterson. Thereigning MVP carried 16 times for just 40 yards and atouchdown. Tomlinson's 1-yard score in the first quarter did give him 107career TDS, passing Jim Brown for fourth on the all-time list. Two stout run defenses didn't allow the two backs much in thefirst half, but the rookie got going in the second. Tomlinsononly had 35 yards rushing in the first half, while Peterson satat 43. On the opening drive of the second half, Minnesota (3-5) startedat its own 17-yard line and went 83 yards in six plays, cappedby Peterson's second touchdown of the game. He took a handofffrom Brooks Bollinger, went off the left side and was hardlytouched as he outran the defense to the end zone for 64 yards,tying the game at 14-14. Two possessions later, the Vikings started at their own 19-yardline. After Peterson tallied 34 yards on the ground and ChesterTaylor added another seven, Bollinger hit rookie Sidney Ricedown the right sideline for a 40-yard touchdown, giving theVikings the lead for good. Peterson's 46-yard jaunt with 7:44 remaining gave the Vikings a28-17 advantage. Chester Taylor added a 2-yard TD with 3:02left to give the Vikings the final margin. "It's not 30 minutes of football, it's 60 minutes of football,"Merriman said. " They have guys diving when they are running theball, diving for every inch. They are blocking just that muchlonger. This game of football is about who wants it more." Thanks to Peterson and Taylor, who carried nine times for 60yards, the Vikings rushed for 378 yards. They had 528 totalyards. "That is the way I like to play football," Minnesota coach BradChildress said. "I do have a healthy respect of being able torun it and taking somebody's will from them. And then playingoff of that with play action. If you are looking for abenchmark, obviously I would take the 500 yards every week, butI will take the win first and the physical nature of football." Bollinger was in the game for starting quarterback TarvarisJackson, who left the contest with a concussion and did notreturn. Playing in relief for the second straight game,Bollinger completed 7-for-10 passes for 95 yards and the onetouchdown. Jackson was 6-for-12 for 63 yards before being carted off thefield at the end of the first half. With less than a minuteleft, Jackson scrambled up the middle for 10 yards, but wassandwiched between Merriman and Stephen Cooper. Peterson's big plays were needed as San Diego took the momentuminto halftime. Minnesota's Ryan Longwell attempted a 57-yard field goal as timeexpired that fell short. Cromartie was back to receive apotential miss and took it 109 yards for a touchdown with notime left of the clock. "We need to go out there and make a big play, and that wasdefinitely a big play going into half," Merriman said. "You hopeyou can thrive off of that coming back out of halftime, but itdid not happen for us that way. No matter what kind of game weare in, we have to finish a game." Tomlinson opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run in thefirst quarter, but Peterson and the Vikings immediately answeredwith their own scoring drive, finished off by Peterson running1 yard up the middle for the touchdown. It was a horrific day for Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers,who completed 19-of-42 passes for 197 yards and an interception.He also fumbled three times, losing one. "This game ties together," San Diego coach Norv Turner said. "Ifyou're not getting first downs. If you're not keeping the ballaway from the other team, and a team like that can run the ball.You know, things can get away from you." In the meantime, Peterson is busy getting away from opposingdefenses.
