After shredding his knee in December 2011, Peterson fell just nine yards shy of breaking NFL great Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record. He would have broken the record had he not rested his groin and abdomen during garbage time of the Week 16 victory over the Houston Texans. Peterson was not only the first rushing leader to average at least 6 yards per carry since Barry Sanders in 1997, he also accrued 336 more yards after contact than the next-closest back, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin.