Peterson over 100 yards as Vikings lead 30-7

ST. LOUIS -- What Adrian Peterson calls "famine, famine ... feast!" was on full display in the first half of today's game against the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome.

Peterson lost yardage on five of his first eight carries. He had 8 yards on eight carries.

But ...

On the ninth carry, he went 82 yards for a touchdown -- tying the career-long run he set two weeks ago at Green Bay -- to give the Vikings a 14-7 lead en route to a 30-7 halftime lead in a game that basically eliminates the loser from the playoff hunt.

Peterson has 119 yards on 13 carries, extending his franchise record for consecutive 100-yard games to eight. But that's not the only good thing going on for the Vikings (7-6).

Even when Peterson was losing yardage on five of his first eight carries, the Vikings led 7-0 thanks to a 45-yard touchdown drive on their first possession. Quarterback Christian Ponder looked decisive during that drive, completing three of three passes for 38 yards to three different receivers. He also ran for a first down on fourth-and-1 inside the 10-yard line and then ducked a certain sack and ran for a 5-yard touchdown on third-and-goal.

Ponder hasn't looked nearly as good since that first drive. He's completing 11 of 16 passes for 85 yards.

St. Louis' Sam Bradford hasn't been consistent either. He's made some nice throws, including a 4-yard touchdown pass on a fade route to Brian Quick. But he also got fooled when defensive end Everson Griffen dropped into coverage on a zone blitz, intercepted a pass thrown right to him and returned the ball 29 yards for a touchdown.

Bradford also fumbled a snap that the Vikings turned into a 50-yard field goal. And he overthrew a receiver on what would have been a touchdown near the end of the half.

Walsh added another field goal from 42 yards as time expired. That field goal came after the Rams missed a 57-yard attempt, giving the Vikings the ball at their 47-yard line.

The Vikings didn't even try to score a touchdown before the half. They threw four short passes and then let the clock drain down to 2 seconds before calling time out.