NFL Single-Game Rushing Records: Peterson’s 296 Yards

A three-yard run put Adrian Peterson into the record book. On November 4, 2007, the Minnesota Vikings rookie finished with 296 rushing yards against the San Diego Chargers, breaking Jamal Lewis’s NFL single-game record by one yard. Peterson remains first on the regular-season leaderboard as of November 6, 2026.

His final line was 30 carries, 296 yards and three rushing touchdowns in Minnesota’s 35–17 victory, as the game statistics confirm. Because he was a rookie, the performance also set the rookie single-game yardage record. The NFL’s official record book lists him above Lewis and Jerome Harrison.

Most rushing yards in one NFL game

These are the five highest individual regular-season rushing totals—not receiving yards, return yards or a team’s combined rushing output.

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent and game date	Rushing yards
1	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings	San Diego Chargers, Nov. 4, 2007	296
2	Jamal Lewis	Baltimore Ravens	Cleveland Browns, Sept. 14, 2003	295
3	Jerome Harrison	Cleveland Browns	Kansas City Chiefs, Dec. 20, 2009	286
4	Corey Dillon	Cincinnati Bengals	Denver Broncos, Oct. 22, 2000	278
5	Walter Payton	Chicago Bears	Minnesota Vikings, Nov. 20, 1977	275

Source: Pro Football Reference’s single-game rushing leaderboard, checked November 6, 2026. Team locations reflect the names used when the games were played.

Lewis’s 295-yard game came before Peterson’s record. Harrison’s 286 came afterward, making it the closest subsequent approach to 296. No NFL player has reached 300 rushing yards in a regular-season game.

How Peterson turned 43 yards into 296

At halftime, Peterson had just 43 rushing yards, and Minnesota trailed 14–7. San Diego had ended the half with Antonio Cromartie returning a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown, as ESPN’s tenth-anniversary account recounts.

Peterson then gained 253 yards in the second half, including touchdown runs of 64 and 46 yards. According to that account, the Vikings’ public-relations staff alerted the coaches that Lewis’s record was within reach. Peterson returned for Minnesota’s final possession, ran for 35 yards and then added the three yards that put him ahead.

He finished four yards short of 300. With less than a minute remaining, Minnesota removed him and ran out the clock rather than chase another milestone.

Playoff and Super Bowl rushing records

Eric Dickerson holds the playoff single-game record with 248 yards for the Los Angeles Rams against Dallas on January 4, 1986. That game belonged to the 1985 season’s playoffs, which explains why record books associate it with 1985 despite its January date. The Pro Football Hall of Fame recognizes the record, and the postseason leaderboard supplies the game date.

Timmy Smith holds the Super Bowl record with 204 yards for Washington against Denver in Super Bowl XXII on January 31, 1988. He gained them on 22 carries and scored two rushing touchdowns. The Super Bowl mark is a subset of postseason records, not a rival to Dickerson’s 248. Smith’s figures appear in the NFL’s Super Bowl records, with the date confirmed by the postseason leaderboard.

Most rushing touchdowns in one game

The individual regular-season record is six rushing touchdowns, shared by:

• Ernie Nevers, Chicago Cardinals against the Chicago Bears, November 28, 1929.
• Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints against Minnesota, December 25, 2020.

Both performances are listed in the NFL’s rushing records.

Kamara matched a mark that had stood for 91 years. Nevers also kicked four extra points, accounting for every point in Chicago’s 40–6 victory—a reminder that his role extended beyond carrying the ball. The Hall of Fame’s account of the shared record documents both performances.

Those are single-game scoring feats. For records accumulated across a full schedule, see our separate guide to NFL single-season rushing records.