National Football League

Playing it safe works for Brett Favre and Vikings offense

Published Oct. 18, 2010 10:12 a.m. ET

foxsports

Look what happens when Brett Favre becomes a game manager: The Vikings rely on special teams and defense, and the offense fails to record a play of more than 20 yards.

This is a team that plays spectacularly average football. In this year's NFC North, that might be just enough to head back to the playoffs.

The Vikings defeated the Cowboys 24-21 on Sunday in the Metrodome because they didn't plague themselves with mistakes.

Brett Favre took a beating that would make a speed bag jealous, but at least the Vikings followed the game plan. The Cowboys double-teamed Randy Moss deep and still had enough athleticism to penetrate while Favre held the ball for too long or the line didn't protect.

The 4-2 Bears, 3-3 Packers and 1-5 Lions -- all losers Sunday -- must have noticed that the Vikings (2-3) inched closer to maximizing their enormous potential. The Vikings visit Green Bay on Sunday night.

"We still haven't put a full game together, a full 60 minutes," guard Anthony Herrera said. "We're showing spurts. We're getting better. Pretty soon, we're going to be rolling."

Thanks to a fiery halftime message from Moss, a 95-yard Percy Harvin kickoff return out of the half and an opportunistic defense, the Vikings avoided the desperate 1-4 hole from which the Cowboys must climb.

But there's more to where the Vikings stand than simply escaping a loss. They showed different elements of their offense that stressed a more disciplined, block-heavy attack, even if Favre was hit on 11 of his first 15 dropbacks.

The Vikings dropped a fullback for plenty of three-tight-end sets, asking Favre to play the kind of balanced football they thought they would get last year.

Complete short, crisp passes when necessary and let the other team implode. The Cowboys did just that with 11 penalties for 91 yards.

The memory of Favre's 33-touchdown, seven-interception performance from last year has fizzled, but he can probably duplicate his 14-of-19, 118-yard performance from Sunday that included his first interception-free game of the year.

The only turnover was a botched handoff to Adrian Peterson on the game's first possession. Favre was credited with the fumble, his 11th turnover this season.

The only time the Vikings went five-wide, Favre threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Greg Camarillo with two seconds left in the first quarter.

As Camarillo pointed out the detail that coaches have reminded him of constantly over the years, the team with the plus-one turnover margin wins 76 percent of the time. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo had two interceptions.

For once, Favre played as conservatively as his recent responses to the NFL investigation into whether he sent former Jets employee Jenn Sterger inappropriate pictures in 2008.

"That was one of the biggest difference in the game today, the turnovers," Favre said. "We didn't have a lot of big plays, but they were crucial."

Favre spent more time on the ground than re-creating his downfield wizardry from years past, something he blames on himself. Favre pushed the Vikings out of field-goal range in the first quarter by taking a 9-yard sack by safety Gerald Sansabaugh, and defensive end Igor Olshansky knocked the wind out of him in the third quarter.

"Can't sit back there and hold it all day," Favre said.

The Cowboys outdistanced the home team 120-21 in the second quarter before the Vikings showed resolve and learned some things about themselves along the way.

Moss, who finished with 55 yards on five catches, has no problem disproving his reputation as a malcontent in the Vikings' locker room after laying into the offense at halftime.

The message, according to Favre: Either the Vikings stay on the field longer or they score quickly.

"It's what we needed to hear," Favre said. "There were a couple of choice words in it I'd rather not say."

The defense, despite its steady run stopping and solid red-zone play, hadn't shown the ability to create turnovers through the first four games. Linebacker E.J. Henderson changed that with two interceptions, including a decisive pick with 7:41 left on a Romo pass intended for tight end Jason Witten.

Special teams might have saved the season, with Harvin's return, Chris Kluwe's steady punting and several punt-coverage tackles deep in Cowboys territory.

Allowing detailed football to prevail might help the Vikings capitalize on NFC North opponents plagued by injuries and inconsistencies.

"I don't think we're as good right now as we'll be four weeks from now," coach Brad Childress said. "My big charge with these guys is just make sure you don't get mentally ill. A win will help that a lot."