Dec 9, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) against the Chicago Bears at the Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the Bears 21-14. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The first half for the Vikings can be described as promising. On offense, the Vikings have been using Jarius Wright as they would use Harvin and it has been successful. Thankfully, Ponder has thrown the ball with confidence. He has stood in he pocket, made the correct reads and delivered the ball. Peterson opened the Vikings first drive with a 18 yard gain after Kyle Rudolph false started on the first play. The Vikings utilized Peterson with a nice play-action play and gained a chunk of yards on a completion to Rudolph. Michael Jenkins came up big with a completion that put the Vikings in the red zone where two plays later, Ponder found Rudolph for the TD.

With J.J. Watt barreling down on every play, Ponder was not able to get the same time he had the first drive to make the passes he did and since the first TD pass has looked average. Ponder finished the half with 119 yards. Peterson has struggled to get anything going on the ground after he broke for a couple big runs. Blair Walsh continued to impress as he nailed a 56 and 41 yard Field goal attempt to put the Vikings up 13-3. It is obvious that the Texans want to bottle up Peterson as much as they can so Ponder will need to play a complete game today.

The Vikings defense are flying to the ball. On a number of plays, multiple Viking defenders swarmed to the ball carrier. On the opening drive for the Houston Texans, the Vikings were able to hold them to a field goal. The Texans did have a few plays that got them the yardage needed to get into field goal range, but two big run stops for a loss were crucial and forced the Texans to pass on 3rd and long. The defense bent but didn’t break. Jasper Brinkley was able to strip the ball from running back, Arian Foster and was recovered by Vikings cornerback, A.J. Jefferson. So far the Vikings defense has played disciplined and made plays when the opportunity presented itself. The Vikings defense looks to have Schaub a little uncomfortable in the pocket and has made him make inaccurate throws. Harrison Smith had an impressive play that showed off his Notre Dame smarts. On third and short, Smith showed the discipline to stay with his man while Schaub rolled out. Schaub had no choice but to try and force the pass as he had a man casing him down. The Vikings have kept the Texans to to 12 yards rushing. The most impressive thing about the Viking defense is that have been able to get off the field on third down. The texans are 1/5 when converting 3rd down.

Sep 9, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings fullback Jerome Felton (42) and tackle Matt Kalil (75) celebrate with running back Adrian Peterson (28) after he scores a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second quarter at the Metrodome. Vikings win 26-23. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

3. Matt Kalil

During this past NFL draft, I was hopeful that the Vikings would lock up he secondary and snag eventual Dallas Cowboy, Morris Claiborne. To my dismay the team chose Kalil; however, Kalil has progressed nicely and has secured the LT spot. He struggled at some points, but that was expected. Kalil’s practice counterpart, Jared Allen has also contributed to Kalil’s success. Going up against arguably the best passer rusher in the last 3 years day in and day out has helped Kalil match up against the leagues tougher pass rushers. Kalil will have his hands full in the next few weeks. Julius Peppers will be Kalil’s assignment. It will be Kalil’s first time going up against Peppers. Hopefully Matt will ask his older brother and Carolina Panters Center Ryan on any clues to Peppers game. Drafting Kalil looks to have worked out. Ponder can relax knowing Matt has his back and I’ve come around as well. I now see why LT is one of most valuable positions in the game.

2. Harrison Smith

The presence of Heavy Hitting Harrison has caused a culture change on the Vikings defense. His “in your face” style of play has infected the entire defense. Never before have fans been excited to watch the Vikings defense until this season. Smith was chosen 22nd overall in the same round as Matt Kalil. This was a pick I was truly thankful for. The Vikings traded back into the first round to grab the former Irish safety and being a ND Irish fan myself, I knew he was the real deal. Smith is a smart player who has shown flashes of brilliance more than rookie mistakes. There were back to back weeks were smith jumped on the same goal line play action and gave up easy TD’s, but Smith’s upside is exciting. He has all the tools and attitude to lead the Vikings defense and play in the NFL for years to come.

1. Adrian Peterson

What more can be said about this guy? We all know what he has done and more than likely what he will do. Ap wants 1,500 yards and close enough to do it with 1,128. Peterson has been the anchor for this team year in and year out. As a Viking fan, I know I do not speak for myself when I say I truly am thankful for Peterson. He has shown that he his committed to the organization and is committed to winning. Peterson has been the model citizen for sports fans of all ages. Earlier this month, charges were dropped against peterson. He was accused of resisting arrest and causing a scene during a night out at a Houston bar. Peterson made a statement saying that his name will be cleared when the facts are brought to light and sure enough it happen. He has proven on and off the field that he is an upstanding citizen and model football player. When the team’s best player is the hardest worker you have a good model for the rest of the team to follow.

Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

Antoine Winfield

If anyone were to tell you that they weren’t at least a little bit concerned about Winfield coming into this season, they were probably lying. At age 35, Antoine has most definitely surpassed the average shelf-life of an NFL cornerback. At a position where speed and agility are the determining factors of the player’s skillset, Winfield has defied the odds to this point – overcoming both age and a couple nagging injuries.

To this point, Winfield has already racked up 60 tackles (including one sack) and two interceptions. From a 5’9,” 35-year-old, that’s not too bad at all. In fact, he’s arguably the best overall corner in the league right now.

Now, I’m sure that last statement will draw criticism from many, but honestly, name one cornerback that has shown the covering skills of Winfield while still maintaining a tackling ability that is even close to the same level as his. I know that I can’t.

While I’ve been a huge fan of Antoine over the years simply because he’s often the smallest guy on the field while making some of the biggest plays on defense, I’ll admit that I’ve had my questions about his ability going forward. This season, Antoine has proven all of the doubters wrong and given his fans more reason to believe.

Blair Walsh

I remember getting a text from one of my good friends on draft day after the Vikings had selected kicker Blair Walsh in the sixth round. After being told by my friend that it had been one of the worst picks in the draft, I became a little bit concerned about the future of our special teams unit as a whole. Fortunately for the Vikings, my friend has been dead wrong to this point. Having only missed one field goal to this point, I think it’s safe to say that the Vikings knew what they were doing when they drafted this kid out of Georgia.

Not only has Walsh proven that he can kick the deep field goal consistently, he’s also proven that he is more than capable when it comes to kickoffs. Though the NFL has moved the kickoff spot up five yards (thus making it incredibly easy for most NFL kickers to simply kick it out of the back of the end zone), Vikings fans know that even the best of field goal kickers can have issues with kickoffs (see: Ryan Longwell).

So far this season, Walsh has proven a spectacular addition to this Minnesota Vikings team, and he’s only going to get better as he adjusts to high-pressure situations and continues practicing with the special teams unit. He’s the definition of pleasant surprise.

Matt Kalil

Though it’s hard to ever call a 1^st-round left tackle a “surprise” when he does well, I only added him to this list because of the hit-or-miss nature of the position when it comes to the draft. While Bryant McKinnie was arguably the most talented player coming into the 2002 draft (where he was drafted 7^th-overall), he proved that talent will only equate to success when effort is apparent. I’ve never been able to get over the fact that such a talented player has had such a mediocre career, and I guess that’s why I am always more concerned about the left tackle position above all others.

Kalil has proven himself as the anchor to the rebuilt Vikings offensive line. Though one could argue that the Vikings should have drafted a wide receiver in this year’s draft and filled an even bigger need to this point, the only reason why we’re not complaining about the offensive line anymore is because of the move to pick Kalil.

Not only does Kalil give the Vikings line a better chance to protect the young quarterback, Christian Ponder, as he continues to develop, he also gives the line a better chance to grow as a whole. By picking up Kalil to take the left tackle position, Charlie Johnson – a guard by nature – is able to fit in nicely where guard Steve Hutchinson once anchored the line.

The offensive line is not a glamorous collection of positions and we only really seem to notice them if they’re consistently performing poorly. Thankfully, due to the addition and success of Kalil, that hasn’t happened yet.

Follow Greg Jensen – @JensenGregory