It Wasn't Only Brett Favre—NFL Fans Were Winners As Vikings Top 49ers

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Yes, I'm a 49ers fan, and yes I am devastated that this one ended up in the loss column.

But don't feel bad for me.

I was just treated to one of the most spectacular and inspirational game-ending victories that this league has seen in years.

Maybe I'm some sort of a masochist, but that stake that the 40-year-old vet drove into our team's heart... well, it was amazing to watch.

The way the 49ers played today, they are a lock for the division.

The Vikings are going to hammer the Rams, Cardinals, and Seahawks by 30-point margins, and Adrian Peterson is going to put up 500 yards during the course of those three games.

Meanwhile, the 49ers' depth at RB, teamed with continued improvement by Shaun Hill, Vernon Davis, and a seemingly impenetrable defensive front, will chip away one victory at a time.

So don't feel bad for the Niners.

Today was about Brett Favre.

Today was a victory for the NFL and football fans in general.

Today, those of us who have him sitting as a backup in our Fantasy Leagues will take a second look. Sure, some of us may have snatched up his teammate with the very first pick in the draft, but that guy wasn't the story today.

Green Bay Packers fans, who at this point have no idea how to feel about Favre, have to be smiling. They may stop smiling as soon as the Vikings clinch the division, but for the rest of the day, they can pull back that fake wall of disdain and remember the happy times.

And those of us sitting in our armchairs in San Francisco... it's hard not to think of Steve Young's pass to T.O. a decade ago. There's nothing better than seeing an old guy who still has it.

To their discredit, the NFL almost shot themselves in the foot, thanks to some disgraceful officiating. In fact, Brett might have scored a touchdown on the previous drive, but his large completion was called back after Mike Singletary threw the red flag on a flagrant illegal forward pass.

But there's no point in sour grapes here.

The Vikings won fair and square, and ESPN is going to have a week's worth of material talking about that one.

Great job, Brett.

That one hurt real bad, and the Niners are going to have to take it out on St. Louis hard next week before our team even begins to feel better.

But we'll get over it. We'll still see you in December. And let's even hope for a rematch.

That was one of the finest games ever played in Minnesota.

One never to be forgotten.

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