Adrian Peterson leads the National Football League in rushing with 1,197 yards and averages 6.5 yards per carry, so it probably doesn't matter on what type of surface he runs.

Willie Parker leads the AFC and is second in the league to Peterson in rushing yards with 1,093. But he has more carries than any other running back in the league (285) and averages 3.8 yards per carry, the second-worst average among backs with more than 600 yards rushing.

It does matter on which surface he runs. Especially when the past two games were at soggy and murky Heinz Field.

"That's a big difference," Parker said. "I sit and tell my family all the time: Don't get it messed up, he is running hard, but his cuts are a lot more fluent than what my cuts are right now because of the field and turf he's playing on."

Peterson, the rookie sensation for the Minnesota Vikings, gets to play eight homes games and one away game (Detroit) in indoor climate-controlled conditions, where the field doesn't have to be sodded, aerated and spread with sandy particles to dry the surface.

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Sunday

• Game: Steelers (9-3) vs. Patriots (12-0), 4:15 p.m.
• Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
• TV: KDKA.

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That, though, is not to diminish the numbers Peterson has posted this season, especially after missing two games with a knee sprain. Rather, it helps frame some of the problems Parker has encountered the past few weeks, and probably the reason he is looking forward to playing on an artificial surface when the Steelers (9-3) meet the unbeaten New England Patriots (12-0) Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.

"I'm looking forward to it," Parker said. "They got a nice field for once, and we haven't played on a good surface since the Jets."

Actually, considering the conditions, Parker should not be condemned for his rushing totals the past two games against the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals. He had 81 yards on 24 carries when Heinz Field was in deplorable shape against the Dolphins, and followed that with 87 yards on 28 carries against the Bengals when it never stopped raining until the fourth quarter.

Parker, though, is more bothered by the four fumbles against the Bengals, only two of which counted officially because of replay challenges. And he knows what the Patriots will try to do.

"They're going to come at the ball, regardless," Parker said. "I let it out and that's something I got to deal with. It's going to be a tough game with them hacking at the ball, and I know that.

"I got to redeem myself. It's not too much about [the Patriots] being unbeaten and perfect. I guess everything happens for a reason and, for me, it gives me some sense of motivation."

So does winning the league's rushing title, something no Steelers player has done since Bill Dudley in 1946. He would even settle for winning the AFC rushing title, something no Steelers back has done since Barry Foster led the conference with 1,690 yards in 1992.

Running backs who play on grass surfaces in a northern climate do not typically win rushing titles. The last player from such a geographic region to do so was Green Bay's Ahman Green, who led the National Football Conference in rushing in 2003. Before that, it was Denver's Terrell Davis in 1998.

Parker, though, would have to close with a flurry to catch Peterson, who plays two of his final four games at the Metrodome. Maybe it will help that three of Parker's final four games are away from home, all on artificial surfaces. One is even indoors, Dec. 20 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

"I'm not looking at it now, but any running back would love it," Parker said. "I'm not going to lie to you and say no. I'm so close to it, but so much has happened these past few games. I'm just being patient. If it happens, it happens."

And Parker is not worried about wearing down, despite having 42 more carries than any other running back in the NFL.

Parker is averaging 23.75 carries per game, a pace that would give him a career-high 380 carries. That would be 10 carries shy of the team record set by Foster (390) in 1992.

"I'm ready to finish this season strong, get on this run," Parker said. "It's not wearing on me. Actually, I feel good, my body feels good. It's holding up."

Just like his AFC rushing lead.