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Matt Birk, in his 10th season with the Vikings, downplayed the significance of Sunday's 35-17 victory over San Diego, other than noting how important it was for a team that entered the day 2-5.

"It's just one game," said Birk, a five-time Pro Bowl center. "Part of professional football is you've got to deal with success and failure.

"I've always said, it's a week-to-week deal. Last week had no bearing on what happened this [past] week and this week has no bearing on next week. We just came out Sunday and I mean everybody, everybody just executed well, and our playmakers made plays."

On the great success of Adrian Peterson, who ran for an NFL-record 296 yards against the Chargers, Birk said: "He's just a special kind of player, a special kind of kid. The best thing is that he works extremely hard, and you like to see people that work hard have success."

Birk played with Robert Smith back when the Vikings were having more success than they are now. Comparing the two backs, Birk said: "They're both similar in the fact that they both have great speed. Especially when you get them to the outside, and that's our goal as an O-line, cover those guys up, get Adrian on the edge and then just let him do what he does."

Birk isn't one to take credit, but coaches said his strong blocking has played a key role in helping Peterson put up his NFL-high 1,036 rushing yards.

Praises Bollinger

One person who doesn't question the ability of Vikings quarterback Brooks Bollinger is Packers right tackle Mark Tauscher, who was a senior at Wisconsin in 1999 when Bollinger, then a redshirt freshman, became the Badgers' starter five games in and led the team to its second consecutive Rose Bowl victory.

The Badgers were 2-2, having lost back-to-back games to Cincinnati and Michigan, when Bollinger started for the injured Scott Kavanagh at No. 12 Ohio State. They fell behind the Buckeyes 17-0, then ran off 42 unanswered points in the last three quarters for a 42-17 victory in Columbus.

The Badgers didn't lose again the rest of the season, including a 20-17 overtime victory over the Gophers at the Metrodome the following week and a 17-9 victory over Stanford at the Rose Bowl.

Tauscher, now in his eighth season as a Packers starter, recalled Bollinger's first game this week to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "I just remember he stepped in when we had lost two really tough games, and we had to go to Ohio State," Tauscher said. "We were a senior-laden team, and here's a redshirt freshman coming in, and he just brought a different dynamic to the huddle. He was incredibly mobile, and I really felt like coming in right off the get-go, he was a great leader."

No doubt Vikings players have the same confidence in Bollinger. He proved what he could do Sunday when given the opportunity, leading the Vikings to victory over the Chargers -- of course with plenty of help.

He started nine games for the Jets in 2005 and hasn't started since. He might get a chance Sunday at Green Bay if Tarvaris Jackson isn't ready. Vikings coach Brad Childress and offensive line coach Jim Hueber were at Wisconsin when Bollinger was there, so they know what he can do.

Moore happy

Running back Mewelde Moore will be a free agent after the season. The Vikings had a chance to ship him to Tampa Bay before the trade deadline but instead opted to keep the 2004 fourth-round pick.

Moore has had his moments with the Vikings, including a 122-yard rushing day in a 20-17 victory at Green Bay in 2005. This year, he has only 10 carries for 71 yards and has been inactive for three games, but he said he is happy to see Peterson and Chester Taylor get the carries while his contribution is limited to punt returns.

In the fourth quarter Sunday, Moore had a 42-yard punt return to the Chargers 46-yard line; Peterson ran it in for a touchdown on the next play.

"[I] have a chance to make a play in a key situation of the game, and we capitalized on it, and it just feels all the more good," Moore said.