"I don't believe what I just saw!"
The words of Jack Buck couldn't be more appropriate after the game we just witnessed. Screw the blocked field goal. Screw the fourth quarter drive by the 49ers to retake the lead. Screw the fact that Adrian Peterson was largely shut down today. Screw the fact that Bernard Berrian had one of his roughest games in a Vikings uniform.
Screw all of that. Because the play we saw today, the Brett Favre to Greg Lewis connection for the game-winning touchdown, makes all of the negatives from this game worth overlooking -- at least, for the time being.
This, my friends, is why adding Brett Favre to the mix made so much sense for the Vikings. For games like this. Games when you need a veteran under center -- someone who has been in these situations before.
With no timeouts, Brett took the Vikings on an 80-yard drive. It lasted 1:27 and ended with a 32-yard strike to a double-covered Greg Lewis. Favre will get the majority of the credit for the win, and rightly so. To put it simply, that drive was awesome. But Lewis' catch was spectacular and he certainly deserves all the props in the world.
Congratulations to Favre. In less than 90 seconds, he won over a fanbase that had gradually grown to accept him but still wasn't quite all the way there. If you're not a Favre fan after today, something's wrong. And on a related note, if Favre hasn't won over 100% of the locker room after today, something's seriously wrong.
Schism? What schism?
On another congratulatory note, kudos to Percy Harvin. By now, he's done a nice job of shaming the teams that passed him up in this year's draft. The kickoff return went for 101 yards, and there was never any doubt about it -- Harvin flew through gaping holes in San Fran's coverage on his way to a touchdown.
This is the type of game that sets the tone for a season. With the Vikings' backs against the wall, Favre orchestrated an unforgettable victory -- a victory made possible by the simple fact that #4 is wearing purple.