(Continued from page 17)

rushed for more yards against the Packers than any other team, including 210 in a loss at Lambeau Field on Dec. 2. Now he's at home on the fast track turf of Mall of America Field, knowing another monster day could propel his team into the playoffs after two rough seasons.
• "It's that rivalry. Just my mindset automatically clicks when we play the Packers because they're such a good team," Peterson said. "Playing those guys, they're definitely the team to beat. It brings the best out in you."
• Even some of the Packers wouldn't mind seeing Peterson make history, if it didn't have to come this week. They have loads of respect for a humble star who has come back from a devastating knee injury to reclaim his title as the best running back in the league.
• They just don't want to be the team in the highlight reel that is played forever.
• "If anybody deserves to get the record, it's definitely A.P., no doubt about it," Packers cornerback Tramon Williams said. "But unfortunately, they're playing us. We want to put our best foot forward. It's going to be a tough task; we know that already."
• Peterson had a string of eight straight games in which he topped 100 yards snapped last week against Houston, where he rushed for 86 yards on 25 carries. The Texans threw everything they had at him, using an array of run blitzes to try to take the ball out of his hands, or at least limit his effectiveness. Peterson was able to rip off a couple of nice gains, but nothing of the breakaway sort that allowed him to rack up major yardage during his prolific eight-game streak.
• All that has done is set the bar a little higher for Peterson in the finale.
• "It's definitely something I still want to accomplish," Peterson said. "Ultimately the most important thing is getting to the postseason and getting a W. I'll be satisfied with both, but definitely satisfied with the W first."
• The Packers come into the game ranked 14th in run defense, and while they do expect to get run-stuffer C.J. Wilson back from a knee injury, they don't have a disruptive force up front like Houston's J.J. Watt to disrupt everything.
• "A lot of blitzing, bringing people off the edge, not unlike a lot of other teams, but their personnel, they have good personnel," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said of the Texans. "We'll see similar schemes (from Green Bay), but if you don't have a similar personnel, good luck."
• If the Vikings lose, they'll need the Lions to beat the Bears, the Eagles to beat the Giants and the Redskins to beat the Cowboys to get in. Plenty of pressure there, but the Vikings have been playing with essentially a must-win attitude ever since that loss to the Packers dropped them to 6-6. They've reeled off three wins in a row, and

(Continued on page 19)