Minnesota began the 2006 season 4-2 (and Childress becoming the first coach in Vikings history to start 2-0 in his first year), but would finish the year at 6-10, tying for the 7th worst record in the NFL and receiving the 7th pick in the NFL Draft; with it, the Vikings selected Adrian Peterson out of the University of Oklahoma.
When the Minnesota Vikings played the Chicago Bears in the first of their two games, Adrian Peterson broke the record for single game All-Purpose yards (361). In Week 9 of the 2007 season, Peterson would go on to break the NFL record set by Jamal Lewis in 2003 for most rushing yards in one game (296 rushing yards against the San Diego Chargers). Despite a strong push in the middle of the 2007 season winning five straight games, the Vikings lost their final two games to finish the season at 8-8, barely missing the playoffs.

