Defensive end Jared Allen has been named to his fourth career Pro Bowl. Allen leads the NFL with 18.5-sacks -- a career best -- and he's only three-sacks shy of a Vikings' single-season record. Allen's 101.5-sacks is most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2004. No other Vikings were named to the Pro Bowl.

Another day, another big award for Jared Allen. The Vikings’ defensive end was named the Sporting News Defensive Player of the Year. Allen terrorized NFL quarterbacks this season, piling up a franchise-record 22 sacks.

A panel of sports reporters who cover the NFL named the Vikings lineman the top defensive player in his conference. It caps an epic season for Allen, who became only the third player in league history to record 22 sacks in a year.

NFL Network's countdown of the top 100 players of 2012, as voted on by the players, listed Vikings defensive end Jared Allen as the 13th best player of last season. Adrian Peterson has yet to make the list, so he's either in the top 10 or completely off the list. He was No. 3 last year.

Jared Allen says he was only kidding last week when he said he would drown himself in a river if he had to live in Detroit. Despite finishing the game with three sacks, Allen was jeered at throughout the Vikings' loss to the Lions. Allen made the comment on his KFAN radio show.

Jared Allen set a Vikings' single season record with 22 sacks last season. He, along with Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh are considered two of the best defensive linemen in the NFL. Are they overrated?

Vikings defensive end Jared Allen earned 14 of the 50 votes. The Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs had 21 votes to claim the title. Allen had 22 sacks last season to break the team record and came within half a sack of breaking Michael Strahan's league record. The Vikings tied a franchise record with 13 loses.

Five-and-a-half sacks in two games is no small feat. But if anyone can do it, it's the oft-mulleted maven of machismo, Jared Allen. The Vikings defensive end sits at 17-1/2 sacks and will need two stellar showings to surpass Michael Strahan's 2001 total.