Minnesota Vikings vs St. Louis Rams Box Score on Dec 16, 2012

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 16, 2012

Vikings 36, Rams 22: Adrian Peterson ran for 212 yards and a touchdown - his eighth consecutive 100-yard game - and visiting Minnesota snapped St. Louis' three-game winning streak.

Peterson tied his season high with an 82-yard scoring run to ignite a run of 23 consecutive points in the second quarter as the Vikings (8-6) halted a four-game road losing streak and pulled into a tie with Chicago for second place in the NFC North.

Everson Griffen returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown and rookie Blair Walsh kicked five field goals, including three of at least 50 yards, as Minnesota all but snuffed out the playoff hopes of the Rams (6-7-1).

Sam Bradford threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns for St. Louis, but his fumble of a botched snap and interception by Griffen led to 17 points in a span of 3:56 for the Vikings en route to a 30-7 halftime lead.

Minnesota quarterback Christian Ponder threw for only 131 yards and ran for a 5-yard score but again left the heavy lifting to Peterson, who has amassed a career-high 1,812 yards to put him within 294 yards of tying Eric Dickerson's single-season NFL record. He also became the second NFL player to have a pair of 200-yard games in the same month since Tiki Barber with the New York Giants in December 2005.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Griffen had entered the game as a replacement for fellow DE Brian Robison, who suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter and did not return. ... Rams RB Steven Jackson finished with 73 yards on 13 carries to become the 27th player to rush for 10,000 yards for his career. ... Minnesota had its highest first-half point total since scoring 31 against the New York Giants in a 44-7 win on Jan. 3, 2010. It also marked the largest halftime deficit this season for St. Louis, which trailed 28-7 at the break in a loss to New England.