Allen, Harvin honored at mid-year

Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and kick returner Percy Harvin were selected to both the midseason All-Pro teams named this week by Pro Football Weekly and Sports Illustrated. SI's Peter King named Allen as his top defensive player and Harvin as his top offensive rookie.

The Pro Football Weekly selections were made by editors at the publication and included running back Adrian Peterson. Peterson and Harvin were among seven unanimous selections. Included in that group was former Vikings safety Darren Sharper, who is tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions in his first season with New Orleans. Sharper also made the squad picked by King.

King selected three players from the 7-1 Vikings: defensive tackle Kevin Williams; Allen, who is tied for the NFL lead with Denver's Elvis Dumervil with 10.5 sacks; and Harvin.

Harvin was picked by both publications for his performance on special teams. He is averaging 30.7 yards on 28 returns and has two touchdowns. Wrote King of Harvin: "[He has] supplanted [Chicago's] Devin Hester as the league's most dangerous WR/KR."

King went with Tennessee's Chris Johnson over Peterson at running back; PFW named two running backs and King went with a running back and a fullback, picking the Saints' Heath Evans.

Johnson leads the NFL with 959 yards rushing. Peterson is tied for third with the Rams' Steven Jackson with 784 yards rushing on 163 carries. Peterson also has nine rushing TDs, placing him third in the NFL behind Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew (11) and Atlanta's Michael Turner (10).

The Colts' Peyton Manning, who has his team at 8-0, was the selection at quarterback by both PFW and King, but the latter did name the Vikings' Brett Favre as his comeback player of the first half. Manning is second in the NFL this season with 2,545 yards passing and is the first quarterback ever with 300-plus yards in seven of his first eight games.

Favre, who ended his brief retirement in August to join the Vikings, has thrown for 16 touchdowns, with only three interceptions. His 106.0 passer rating is second in the NFL to the Saints' Drew Brees (106.1).

One player who did not make either team is Vikings left guard Steve Hutchinson, a six-time All-Pro selection by the Associated Press. PFW went with the Saints' Jahri Evans and the Ravens' Ben Grubbs and King picked Evans and the Steelers' Chris Kemoeatu.

The Vikings' next three home games should be televised in the Twin Cities, extending a home sellout streak that began in 1998.

The Vikings have fewer than 1,000 tickets remaining for Sunday's game against Detroit and the Nov. 22 game against Seattle. There is "very limited" availability for the Nov. 29 game against Chicago, according to Steve LaCroix, the Vikings' vice president of sales and marketing and chief marketing officer.

The Lions are expected to return 300 to 400 tickets this afternoon but those tickets would not be included in the number that need to be sold to avoid a blackout.