Minnesota Has Favre Fever, but Adrian Peterson Still Vikings' Backbone

Another Sunday in Minneapolis, another dreamland victory for the Minnesota Vikings. So life goes nowadays for the Vikes, led by a magical man who refuses to fade.

After Sunday’s 36-10 thrashing of the Chicago Bears, the Vikings are slowly building momentum to January and are making their case to be called the NFC’s best team. I know, the boys in the bayou have the most explosive offense in the NFL to go along with that sparkling 10-0 record, but take one peek north and you may find the surest brand of football today.

It never was supposed to be like this. Tavaris Jackson was supposed to be the guy under center, Adrian Peterson was supposed to handle an unprecedented amount of carries, and the Vikings were supposed to be clawing with the Bears and Green Bay Packers over the NFC North title.

What a difference a little persistence makes. When Vikings head coach Brad Childress refused to give up on bringing Favre to Minnesota until the day he picked him up from the airport, fate changed in the land of the lakes. Favre threw for 392 yards (10 shy of his career high) and three touchdowns Sunday adding to his MVP season, and further caressed the hearts of Vikings lifers.

No longer do you think Minneapolis and immediately begin pondering the possibilities of an afternoon spent in Mall of America. No longer do you think Metrodome and begin plugging your ears to escape the deafening sound of the blaring horns that accompany autumns spent inside one of the country’s loudest stadiums.

We think about Minnesota, we think about the Vikings, and now we think about how Favre has transformed a team with talent into a team with conviction. By simply donning a purple No. 4, Favre gave this city and this franchise hope. By merely stepping on the field, he gave this team leadership and confidence. That’s what a Hall of Fame presence will do.

Problem is, that nostalgia only lasts so long if it isn’t compounded with something of substance. Hype fades faster than morning dew if it isn’t worked with and molded into production. This party train that is steamrolling through Minnesota would have been off the tracks weeks ago if the New York Jets version of Favre showed up to complement the game’s best running back and a championship-caliber defense.

With the comfort of some new Wranglers and the blessing Dr. James Andrews put on his right arm, Favre is playing the best football of his career. With Sunday’s performance, Favre eclipsed the 2,850-yard mark for the season while sporting a 24/3 TD/INT ratio. Completing just about 70 percent of his passes for the 10-1 Vikes, Favre is grabbing all the headlines. The resurgence is well underway, or some say.

Lets not make any mistake about it. The Vikings wouldn’t be half the team they are today without Brett Favre. They wouldn’t be looking like legitimate Super Bowl contenders without the ol’ gunslinger whizzing passes around the field while maximizing the talents around him, such as targets Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. And I wonder if the defense would be as good as they are if they knew they had to hold the opponent to two scores in order to win a game. With Favre, mental burdens have been purged.

There is no doubt Favre is the MVP of the Vikings and could even make a strong case for being the MVP of the league. But there’s one thing we must not forget. While Favre directs this magnificent orchestra of speed and power, it is Adrian Peterson that makes it possible.

Nobody needs to be reminded of the wizardry of Peterson. His fluorescent purple Nikes can be seen slashing and dashing across the turf on his way to another six points often. But it is in times like these, with heightened celebrity and attention flocking to the organization, when we say hell with the foundation.

If Favre is the slick speedboat gliding across the lake in sheer beauty, Peterson is the relentless engine that keeps on churning water underneath the surface without poking up for some sun.

Early in the season, nobody expected Favre to play at this level, and therefore teams stacked the box against the Vikings, essentially saying, “Beat us, old man.” And he did. The game plan was to take away the Vikings greatest threat, Peterson, and force relatively unknown receiving targets to elevate their games. And they have.

While defenses are beginning to adjust—i.e. remain confused on how to attack the Vikings—Peterson is quietly putting together one of his finest seasons yet. He passed the 1,000-yard rushing mark during Sunday’s game, and already has rushed for two more touchdowns this season than he did in all of 2008. Peterson is on the cusp of averaging five yards per carry, right on par with last year’s rate.

Peterson has doubled his 125 receiving yards from a year ago, averaging almost nine yards per catch. The two-time Pro Bowler has done all of this while seeing his carries decline about two per game compared to last season. Childress would be smart to continue to ease the workload on Peterson as Minnesota wraps up the division and sets its sights on the playoffs.

A fresh Peterson in January means the opportunity to utterly obliterate opposing defenses, and the continued presence of Peterson allows Favre to succeed and remain healthy. Favre deserves credit for allowing the Vikings to back off Peterson slightly, but without “All Day,” would Favre even be standing heading into Week 13? It’s a question worth asking.

This story has grown almost too good to be true. Favre wasn’t supposed to come back at all, but when he did, it was clear he was as motivated as ever (for some possible reasons that could be painted in green and yellow). Favre wanted to make this thing work more than anybody, and he’s succeeding in style. Favre has almost become young again in the process.

And while I join many of you and dream up possible fairytale endings to this season—my favorite is a Vikings-Colts Super Bowl with a Favre-Manning showdown for the ages—remember one thing. While Favre dances up and down after scores, enjoying what has been his finest season, it’s the guy lining up in the backfield that keeps this dream alive.

Favre may hold the key to the city, but Peterson still holds the key to the title.