He glanced around the locker room and slightly shook his head, with an almost imperceptible grin. He took another bite and slightly shook his head again, this time grinning widely, as teammate after teammate stopped by with a kind word for the 40-year-old quarterback.

Life is good these days for Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. The 35-9 Metrodome win pushed their record to 9-1 and provided a distinct sense of cautious serenity in the locker room.

BOX SCORE: Vikings 35, Seahawks 9

"It's hard to really describe it," left tackle Bryant McKinnie said. "It starts with that guy sitting right over there and it filters down to everything. Same thing with what he did for Green Bay all those years. I don't think there's any doubt we're onto something special here, and everybody knows it."

He paused and then quickly added: "But we've got to keep it up (and) with the attitude and the weapons we have, I think we will."

The wide-spread weaponry begins with Favre, who torched 3-7 Seahawks for four touchdown passes and 213 yards completing a career-best 22-of-25.

And with running back Adrian Peterson, a wealth of options at receiver and a defense that's capable of lock-down efficiency, the Vikings are looking more and more like a team that's going to be a force come playoff time.

Vikings fans, of course, have caught on. Again this week the atmosphere in the Metrodome before, during and after the game was electric.

"It's not hard to pick up on that," receiver Bernard Berrian said. "I guess you could say it's contagious. We all feel the enthusiasm that's building up here."

But according to Vikings guard Steve Hutchinson, the reason isn't just the Favre factor.

"It's a variety of things," he said. "Chemistry. There are no cliques on this team. We're all having fun together, and obviously Brett's a big part of that."

Favre appears to be is tickled to be doing what he's doing.

"I'm feeling more confident," he said. "I'm more of a realist at this age, but that doesn't mean you can't go out there and turn it loose."

Enlarge By Eric Miller, Reuters Brett Favre threw four TD passes in the Vikings' win on Sunday.