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MINNEAPOLIS — As he weighed his future over the summer, Brett Favre heard a number of recruiting pitches from Minnesota players. One came from offensive lineman Steve Hutchinson.



“Basically he said, ‘Hey, come here and hand it off to Adrian [Peterson],” Favre recounted Sunday. “He said, ‘You’ll throw it 15-20 times per game, maybe.’ I thought, ‘That sounds pretty good.’ But I didn’t really believe it.”



So it was with some sarcasm that Hutchinson sidled up to Favre late Sunday afternoon and said, according to Favre: “I told you that you wouldn’t have to do too much.” Hutchinson’s timing was perfect, as Sunday marked the full evolution in Favre’s arrival in Minnesota. In a span of 11 games, Favre has gone from caretaker to carrying the team.



“I’m no fool,” Favre said. “I figured we would have to throw it some. I didn’t come here just to hand off.”



For the first time this season, the Vikings came out throwing and never stopped in a 36-10 victory over Chicago. Facing a Bears defense that stubbornly stacked itself to stop Peterson, Favre threw on 46 of the Vikings’ first 65 plays. He finished with 392 yards, 10 short of his career high.



The Bears quieted Peterson, who gained 85 yards on 25 carries, but the Vikings still gashed them for 537 total yards.



It was the first time in 15 years that Chicago’s once-feared defense had given up 500 yards. I attribute that to inflexible play calling and an injury-depleted lineup. The Vikings’ explosion? It was a true watershed moment.



“We come in with the idea that we want to run the ball,” coach Brad Childress said. “But we’re still not going to put the round peg into a square hole. … You can’t be belligerent. You can’t smash your head against the wall. It’s just how they deployed. It’s just how they elected to take something away, and we have the ability to [capitalize] now in the pass game.”



Said Favre: “I think that’s what this team has talked about doing since Adrian emerged: Being able to counter what he’s able to do.”



Favre had thrown 40-plus passes on two other occasions this season, but in both cases — against San Francisco and Pittsburgh — the Vikings were in catch-up mode. Sunday, players and coaches insisted they veered away from an otherwise balanced game plan when the Bears employed most known tactics to stop the run.



“They just had everybody in there in the box,” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. “They were slamming everything against the formation, slanting their front, putting the safety on the backside coming. They were just doing everything they could to stop the run game. … [But] that’s where we’ve gotten to at this point, where you can flip it over and say, ‘Hey, just start throwing it.’”



I don’t think I can exaggerate how foreign that concept would have been during Childress’ first three years with the Vikings. As they navigated quarterback deficiencies, Childress’ West Coast offense looked more like the run-based attack he once used at the University of Wisconsin (1991-98).



In one particularly dark moment of the 2006 season, television cameras caught several Vikings fans holding mock playcards of Childress’ offense. The title of one play was “Chester Taylor right.” The other was “Chester Taylor right.”



Sunday, however, Childress turned to Bevell and said: “Look, the best way to move the ball right here is for us to throw it and us throw it again.”



I suppose the Vikings might have re-centered if the Bears had adjusted. But Chicago continued running the same scheme — “For the most part, they played their defense,” Favre said — and so the Vikings kept throwing.



Favre spread it all over the field, completing at least five passes to five different receivers. According to ESPN’s Stats & Information, that’s been done only twice in the NFL this season. (The other was Seattle against Detroit on Nov. 8.) With the Bears playing their standard cover-2, Vikings receivers simply found the open holes in the zone.



Favre, in fact, completed nine passes between 16 and 33 yards. Those plays added up to the Vikings’ biggest passing day since Daunte Culpepper threw for 404 yards at New Orleans on Dec. 19, 2004.



“We basically took what they gave us,’ said tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, who caught his team-leading eighth touchdown of the season. “We saw some holes on their defense, some things we thought we could exploit. This offense is the most explosive I’ve ever seen in my life. The players are playing at a high level. Favre is making terrific throws, great reads. It seems like everyone is getting open, eating up a piece of this pie. We’re just taking advantage of all the mismatches they give us.”



This was the paradigm of the “pick-your-poison” offense the Vikings had hoped to achieve by signing Favre. Many of us, Hutchinson included, assumed opponents would back off their run defense out of respect for Favre’s skills. When and if that happened, we figured Childress and Bevell would revert to their power running approach. Hence, 15-20 throws per game.



But incredibly, the Bears took no special precautions Sunday to defend the NFL’s top-rated quarterback, one who now has a 26-3 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions. I can’t say I thought that, at age 40, Favre could respond to that challenge with a 392-yard day. But for one game, at least, the Bears picked the wrong poison.



“I don’t want to say I didn’t think we could do it,” Favre said. “I don’t know if I thought we would have to.”



Agreed.

MINNEAPOLIS — I spent a good portion of my upcoming game column examining how and why Brett Favre picked apart Chicago’s defense. But we shouldn’t allow the Bears off the hook for an atrocious offensive performance as well.



Chicago held the ball for only 19:05 of the game, managing eight first downs and 169 total yards. All were season lows. ESPN Stats & Information reports that nearly a third of the Bears’ total plays went for zero or negative yardage (12 of 38). That figure included seven of their 12 plays in the second half.



“You saw it,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “Didn’t get a lot done.”



I walked away thinking that quarterback Jay Cutler was to blame for a minimum of the Bears’ offensive problems. There’s little doubt he underthrew receiver Johnny Knox in the end zone for his first interception, but that was the only glaring mistake I saw.



More problematic was the Bears’ decision to concede the running game before kickoff, naming Frank Omiyale their starting left guard over Josh Beekman. Omiyale is a marginally better pass- blocker but has struggled in run sets. Very predictably, the Bears called for a pass on 21 of their first 26 plays. For the game, tailback Matt Forte rushed for 27 yards on eight carries.



“It’s easy to look at the quarterback and blame the quarterback or whatever you want to blame,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner told reporters. “But everybody has to execute. If one guy doesn’t do it, it’s tough for any quarterback to execute and that’s kind of been the story of what we’ve had.”



No one knows what the Bears’ endgame will be, but I have a hard time believing Turner will be back as offensive coordinator. That seems a given. The bigger question now is what will happen to the bigger fish.



My feeling for most of the past month has been that Chicago wouldn’t to pay Smith some $11 million to walk out the door. But Sunday marked another all-around embarrassment. It was the Bears’ third loss by 20 or more points in the past six weeks. A midseason slump has become a flat-out trend in Chicago. Will anyone — besides Turner — pay for it?

BALTIMORE — Dennis Dixon is showing the rest of the league what he’s made of.



The second-year quarterback made the biggest play of his career with a 24-yard quarterback scramble to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a 17-14 lead over the Baltimore Ravens. It’s the first lead of the game for Pittsburgh and puts a lot of pressure on Baltimore at home. The Steelers drove 54 yards during the scoring drive.



Dixon’s speed was apparent as he turned the corner and easily sprinted by defenders. He hasn’t scrambled much, but when Dixon has he’s been dangerous. He had a 31-yard scramble taken away in the first half.

All four NFC West head coaches made critical fourth-down decisions Sunday, with mixed results:



Rams



The situation: The Rams faced fourth-and-4 from the Seattle 34 with 1:50 remaining in the first half of a tie game.



The decision: Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo decided to go for it.



Potential reasoning: Josh Brown had already missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt. The Rams had gained 33 yards on a third-and-4 play earlier in the drive. The Rams entered the game 1-9. What did they have to lose?



What happened: Quarterback Kyle Boller threw to receiver Donnie Avery. Seattle cornerback Kelly Jennings made an aggressive play on the ball, batting it away. Seahawks cornerback Josh Wilson picked off the pass and ran 65 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 Seattle lead.



My take: This one is tough to justify because 4 yards is a relatively long way to go. Running the ball isn’t much of an option in that situation. The Rams were playing the Seahawks tough to that point. The game got away from them a bit after the interception.

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49ers



The situation: The 49ers faced fourth-and-1 from the Jacksonville 37 with 1:58 remaining in the second quarter of a game they led, 10-0.



The decision: 49ers coach Mike Singletary decided to go for it.



Potential reasoning: Quarterback Alex Smith was functioning efficiently. The defense was pitching a shutout. Putting the hammer down in this situation could help break open the game.



What happened: Smith threw deep to tight end Vernon Davis for a 30-yard gain. The play sustained a touchdown drive as the 49ers built a 17-0 lead.



My take: Attempting a 55-yard field goal at Candlestick Park wouldn’t have been a safe decision, and a punt might have netted only 17 yards on a touchback. Going deep down the field was a gutsy call.

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Seahawks



The situation: The Seahawks faced fourth-and-1 from the St. Louis 18 while leading 17-10 on the first play of the fourth quarter.



The decision: Seahawks coach Jim Mora decided to go for it.



Potential reasoning: The running game was functioning effectively and this was a chance to potentially blow open a close game.



What happened: Matt Hasselbeck handed off to Justin Forsett for an 11-yard gain. The Seahawks scored on the drive to take a 24-10 lead, all but putting away the game.



My take: This was a high-risk, high-reward play. Kicking a 35-yard field goal would have produced a two-score differential that the Rams probably would have had a hard time overcoming. The play worked, so Mora comes out OK, but this was a gamble that could have backfired in a big way.

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Cardinals



The situation: The Cardinals faced fourth-and-1 from the Tennessee 45 with 6:07 remaining in the fourth quarter of a game Arizona was leading, 17-13.



The decision: Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt decided to punt.



Potential reasoning: Punter Ben Graham is playing at a high level this season. This was a chance to pin the Titans deep in their territory. Failing on fourth-and-1 would have changed field position in a close, relatively low-scoring game.



What happened: LaRod Stephens-Howling downed Graham’s punt at the Tennessee 2. The Cardinals forced a turnover on the ensuing Titans drive.



My take: The Cardinals’ ground game has improved, but a failed fourth-and-1 in this situation would have ceded momentum and field position at a critical point in the game. For the Cardinals, taking their chances against Vince Young seemed like the right call at the time.

SAN DIEGO — LaDainian Tomlinson‘s days as a great running back are probably behind him. His days as a San Diego Charger may be numbered as well.



But as the Chargers continue to show that they intend to be a team to be reckoned with in January, Tomlinson still has a significant role. It may not be as a game-breaker anymore. But Tomlinson, 30, is still the most dangerous and the most used player in the NFL at the goal line.



When San Diego settled down near the goal line in their 43-14 pummeling of the sloppy and overmatched Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, everyone in the house knew what the Chargers were going to do.



The entire stadium started to chant, “L.T., L.T., L.T.”



And the ball went to Tomlinson. Tomlinson scored on runs of 1 yard and 3 yards. He tried to get another touchdown, but he was stripped of the ball at the goal line in the fourth quarter. The Chargers challenged the close call, but they were denied.



According to ESPN Stats & Information, Tomlinson leads the NFL with 26 goal-line touches. He has seven touchdowns at the goal line, which is also a league high.



Even though he had only 39 yards on 13 carries Sunday, his work near the goal line shows Tomlinson is still a big part of this team. He said he was motivated when he was introduced as part of the franchise’s 50th anniversary team prior to the game. Eleven current Chargers are on the team.



This is far from Tomlinson’s last honor. Tomlinson is probably headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He moved into 10th place on the all-time rushing list Sunday with 12,257 yards.



“It was a special day,” Tomlinson said.



Tomlinson is on pace for the least productive season of his nine-year career. He has 458 yards on 135 carries and is averaging 3.4 yards per carry, which would be a career low if the season ended today.



It took Tomlinson and the Chargers several weeks to agree on a restructured contract to ensure his return in 2009. There is a good chance San Diego will decide to part ways with Tomlinson after this season.



Although Tomlinson’s golden days in San Diego may only be a memory, he continues to show he can produce when it counts.



The following are other key aspects of Sunday’s game:



San Diego keeps charging: San Diego is one of the hottest teams in the NFL as its enters December, which has been Charger-friendly in recent years.



San Diego has won six straight games. It is 8-3 and leads the 7-4 Broncos by one game in the AFC West. San Diego, which plays at Cleveland next week, has two games remaining with teams with winning records. The Chargers look poised to make a run at the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs and a first-round bye.



The win over Kansas City gave San Diego a 5-1 record against AFC West opponents as it finished division play. The Chargers’ only blemish was a home loss to the Broncos, which San Diego avenged last week with a 32-3 win in Denver.



San Diego has registered back-to-back 29-point wins. During San Diego’s six-game win streak, it has outscored opponents by 105 points.



The Chargers are smoking into the final stretch, which is good news for them, because they always play well in December. Quarterback Philip Rivers is 14-0 as the Chargers’ starter in December. The team is 9-0 under coach Norv Turner in the month.



San Diego plays relentless defense: The San Diego defense has been terrific during its winning streak. It has allowed an opponent more than 20 points just once during the streak. San Diego has surrendered a total of 17 points in the past two games.



Pressuring the quarterback has been a big part of the Chargers’ defensive success. San Diego made Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel uncomfortable all game. The Chargers had one sack, but Cassel was pressured into throwing an interception and he lost one of two fumbles. The lost fumble was returned by San Diego safety Paul Oliver for a touchdown.



“I think we’re really playing well as a defense,” San Diego cornerback Quentin Jammer said. “The pressure is a big key.”



Charles and Chambers continue to shine: The reason there is hope for the 3-7 Chiefs is that their two best offensive weapons are still just getting acclimated.



Second-year running back Jamaal Charles had 93 yards on 14 carries. Receiver Chris Chambers continued to shine with a team-high seven catches for 70 yards and a 7-yard touchdown catch against his former team.



Charles has taken over this month as the Chiefs’ top back in the aftermath of Larry Johnson‘s release. Charles is a game-breaker who looks like he could have a future in Kansas City.



Chambers has been fantastic for the Chiefs in the four games since the team claimed him off waivers earlier this month from San Diego. Chambers has 17 catches in four games and he looks like Cassel’s favorite target.



When Dwayne Bowe returns from a four-game NFL suspension in two weeks, he will have some work to do to reclaim being the Chiefs’ top receiver.

BALTIMORE — Many expected a blowout in Baltimore with Ben Roethlisberger on the sidelines. But that hasn’t been the case.



The Pittsburgh Steelers are hanging around in this rivalry game with the Baltimore Ravens, as a field goal from Jeff Reed cut Pittsburgh’s deficit to 14-10 in the third quarter.



Baltimore is playing sloppy, giving up a fumble and a quarterback sack to end its first two drives of the second half. Ravens starting quarterback Joe Flacco was limping after getting sacked by Steelers defensive end Travis Kirschke but returned to the game.



The Ravens are trying to end a three-game losing streak against Pittsburgh.

BALTIMORE—The Baltimore Ravens lead the Pittsburgh Steelers, 14-7, at intermission.



Here are some halftime observations:

• This is the most trash talking that I’ve seen between two teams all season. When someone makes a key play, that player often wants to let the other team know about it. Among the biggest culprits for trash talking so far have been Steelers safety Tyrone Carter, Pittsburgh receiver Hines Ward, and Ravens tailback Ray Rice.
• At times this has been an old-fashioned battle of attrition to see which team will give up the most ground. Steelers tailback Rashard Mendenhall (10 carries, 42 yards) and Rice (six carries, 34 yards) for the Ravens are running well in the first half. Both are hitting the seams quickly and aren’t afraid to get the tough yards.
• I’ve been impressed so far with Steelers quarterback Dennis Dixon, who is making good on most of his throws. Dixon has thrown for 87 yards and a touchdown in the first half. Most importantly, Dixon doesn’t look overwhelmed by the situation, which will be key for the Steelers to have a chance in the second half.
• Ravens receiver Derrick Mason caught the go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter over Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor. It was Mason’s first touchdown against Pittsburgh in 21 career games.

BALTIMORE — The Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are currently tied 7-7.

Here are some early impressions of Pittsburgh quarterback Dennis Dixon.

• The Steelers used safe play calling with Dixon early. His first throw was a screen that was incomplete and his second and third throws were quick snap-and-fires to receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. Dixon didn’t throw downfield once until he warmed up in the second quarter. He later hit Holmes for a 33-yard touchdown pass.

• Dixon had a nice scramble for 31 yards in the first quarter that displayed his speed. But it was called back for holding. The play didn’t count, but at least it showed what Dixon is capable of with his legs.

• Dixon has been remarkably accurate so far. He completed 4 of his first 5 passes for 66 yards, and his only incompletion was a screen that was batted down. Dixon doesn’t look too shaken by the situation to this point.

Brett Favre passed for a season-high 392 yards and three touchdowns, and the Vikings intercepted Jay Cutler twice in a 36-10 victory over the Bears on Sunday.

BALTIMORE — Ravens rookie cornerback Lardarius Webb played with the first-team defense Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.



The game marked Webb’s first career start, and was a move that was expected all week. Ravens former starting cornerback Fabian Washington recently suffered a knee injury and is out for the season.



Webb, a third-round pick, has gradually earned more playing time during the year as a defensive back and kick returner. Expect Pittsburgh’s veteran receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes to test the rookie tonight.