Favre throws 4 TDs as Vikings sail to 44-7 victory over Giants, hope for Cowboys win and bye

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Favre, Vikings sail to 44-7 victory over Giants

MINNEAPOLIS — Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings did everything right that went wrong in December, aggressively pursuing the swagger they had before the slump — just in time for the playoffs.

Favre passed for 316 yards and four touchdowns without a turnover in less than three quarters, lifting the Vikings to a 44-7 victory over the barely-there New York Giants on Sunday.

Controlling the game from the very first drive against a Giants team sitting five players who started at least four games this season, the Vikings (12-4) cruised into the locker room to start watching the Philadelphia-Dallas game with an eye on their seed for the NFC playoffs.

They needed an Eagles loss to finish second behind sputtering New Orleans and get a first-round bye, and throughout the second half the crowd broke into “Let’s go Cowboys!” chants.

The Vikings had themselves to blame for this uncertainty, thanks to those ugly defeats in three nationally televised night games last month that ruined their chance to catch the Saints for pre-Super Bowl home-field advantage and exposed a few troubling flaws.

Favre and coach Brad Childress appeared determined to regain this team’s confidence, with the Vikings attempting 35 passes and running only 22 times during the first three quarters.

They even kept the offense on the field for fourth-and-goal at the 1 on Favre’s final possession, which he capped by throwing a touchdown pass to fullback Naufahu Tahi to make it 44-0.

Sidney Rice caught six passes for 112 yards and two scores, and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe had seven receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half. Adrian Peterson scored his 18th touchdown and carried nine times for 54 yards.

With the Giants (8-8) gaining only 73 yards in the first three quarters and letting the Vikings sail up and down the field as they pleased, Tarvaris Jackson relieved Favre for the final few possessions.

When he arrived in Minnesota in August, Favre wondered aloud whether his now-40-year-old body would make it through 16 games. It did, and despite a few lapses in December he finished the regular season probably better than anyone could have predicted. He surpassed 30 touchdowns for the ninth time in his career and 4,000 yards for the sixth time, finishing with a mere seven interceptions — the fewest of his 18-year run as a starter.

There are now two questions for the Vikings to answer. Can the offensive line and the secondary hold up well enough for them to win their first Super Bowl? And if they’re forced to play on the road — let alone on grass or in the cold — how will Favre fare?

To start, they’ll have at least one playoff game at the comfy Metrodome, where they went 8-0 for the first time since their 15-1 season in 1998.

Eli Manning threw an interception — Chad Greenway made a diving catch after Ben Leber tipped the ball — and lost a fumble on a sack by Jared Allen. Manning missed his chance to set the franchise record for single-season yards passing, but he had already set a career high in that category. He finished 17 for 23 for 141 yards.

Eliminated from playoff contention last week with an embarrassing 41-9 home loss to Carolina, the Giants missed the postseason for the first time in five years.

With Brandon Jacobs out, an ailing Ahmad Bradshaw started in his place and managed only 13 yards on seven attempts. The Giants held two starting linemen out with injuries, left guard Rich Seubert and right tackle Kareem McKenzie.