Vikes 9-1

Back in September, I didn't know what to expect from the Vikings. I thought that Favre's bad karma would probably sink the team. Shows what I know, right? They have been very good, at times a great team.
The improvement has been mainly from the offense, especially the quarterbacking. This is a team that is very good at both running and throwing the ball. If they have a weakness, it's in run blocking. But they also have the best 1-2 running combo in the league with Peterson and Taylor. Neither back needs a gaping hole to run through. In fact, their biggest plays have been on cutbacks after what would have been a short loss.
The defense hasn't been as stout as it was the past couple of years. This year's team has an incredible pass rush and (without Winfield at least) average pass defense. The run stopping hasn't been quite as reliable but it's still good.
Of note, this year's special teams is wildly better than last years. They've enjoyed one of the better turn arounds in NFL history. Getting healthy and adding Harvin have helped tremendously.
Here's the fun part, the team is good enough that we can start talking about playoff position. The current NFC standings:

New Orleans 10-0
Minnesota 9-1
Dallas 7-3
Arizona 7-3 (barring a 4th quarter collapse today)

And a bunch of teams at 6-4. This means that the Vikes are in great shape to claim one of the top two spots in the conference, get a first round bye and host a game. If they make it to the NFC championship game it will almost certainly be in a dome, either in New Orleans or at home. This team is almost certainly better indoors than out so that's pretty big.
The Vikings could hardly have scripted this season any better. Let's hope that the ending is as good as the beginning.