EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- In this state of football heartbreak, what happened last Sunday was nothing short of a modern-day miracle.

"SIMPLY FAVRELOUS," blared the headline on the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

"Un4gettable," said the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

In the broadcast booth high above the Metrodome field, play-by-play man Paul Allen gasped for air, trying to put together the words to describe the sort of moment that has seemed to go against the Minnesota Vikings for decades.

"Oh my heavens!" Allen shouted twice. "Greg Lewis' first catch has given the Minnesota Vikings an improbable victory! No flags on the field! Brett Favre! Greg Lewis! How do you like that?!"

Gone were the memories -- of Nate Poole in the Arizona end zone, of Gary Anderson's kick drifting wide left, of Drew Pearson's push and the rest.

In their place: Favre, and the legendary magic in which everyone here suddenly seems to believe.

Some fans had left the building before that desperation heave found Lewis' hands in the back of the end zone, lifting the Vikings over San Francisco 27-24 with 2 seconds to spare. Odds are most of them will stay in their seats if there's a similar situation in Monday night's showdown against Favre's longtime team, the Green Bay Packers.

The question is, at age 39, with 294 consecutive starts' worth of wear and tear on his body, will Favre have any of that magic left by December or January?

"I haven't seen anything that has told me he can't," Vikings coach Brad Childress said this week. "Aside from what's documented as an injury last year, he played all 16 games and played, by everybody's admissions, injured. So, I'm not letting that question dictate how we are handling it or treating it. He doesn't need to show me."

Recent history suggests maybe he does.

Favre finished his 2008 season as a New York Jet with a partially torn biceps tendon that required surgery and almost certainly contributed to his poor play down the stretch.

But the numbers say Favre's collapse in the Big Apple -- one in which he threw nine interceptions and only two touchdowns passes as the Jets finished 1-4 and missed the playoffs -- wasn't an anomaly.

Each of the past five years, Favre's numbers have taken a late-season nosedive of varying degrees. As a whole, the drop-off is staggering.

In the first 11 games of the 2004 through 2008 seasons (55 games total), Favre completed 64.8 percent of his passes with 97 touchdown throws, 61 interceptions and an 89.1 passer rating. In the last five games of those seasons plus three playoff contests (28 total), he completed only 57.9 percent of his passes with 27 touchdowns, 46 interceptions and a meager passer rating of 66.3.

"I think you always have to think that it may happen again," said ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski, a longtime NFL quarterback who studies game tape extensively before each game.

"Age is certainly something that we all think about, especially as a quarterback. I can personalize it and say that I was 38 and starting with the Kansas City Chiefs (in 1989) and I wasn't the same guy I was earlier in my career, and you have to make the adjustments by getting rid of the ball a little bit quicker, anticipating a little bit more and sometimes, just getting the ball out of your hands, because that quick-twitch is gone a little bit."

His 40th birthday looming on Saturday, Favre also has seemed increasingly susceptible to the cold weather he once was renowned for overcoming.

He had a particularly awful outing in his only sub-freezing start with the Jets, throwing two interceptions and a 48.7 passer rating in a 13-3 loss against struggling Seattle. During his MVP-caliber 2007 season with the Packers, Favre had two terrible showings in his final four games, throwing two interceptions on a blustery day at Chicago and two more in the frigid NFC championship loss to the New York Giants at Lambeau Field.

The latter ended with Giants cornerback Corey Webster intercepting a badly underthrown out for Donald Driver to set up the winning field goal, which dropped Favre's record to 3-7 in his last 10 playoff games. He's had his share of infamous afternoons in that stretch -- six interceptions at St. Louis, a disastrous pick in overtime at Philadelphia, getting outdueled by Daunte Culpepper on his home field against Minnesota, etc.

No loss is entirely the quarterback's fault, of course. But it's worth noting Favre's "magic" hasn't translated into consecutive playoff wins since 1997.

"He's just got a vibe about him that has really elevated every team he's ever played for," said former NFL coach Jon Gruden, who pushed hard to bring Favre to Tampa Bay last summer before the Packers dealt him to the Jets.

"Are his skills the same as they were in 1989 or 1995? That's hard to say. But I'm excited to see him, and I'm impressed. I can't tell you how impressed I am with what he's done, with no training camp and no offseason program."

Favre joined the Vikings 2 1/2 weeks late in part because he was unconvinced his surgically repaired throwing shoulder was ready for the rigors of a 16-game NFL season, plus playoffs.

So far, it appears the arm isn't an issue.

"I think clearly the arm strength is no problem," Jaworski said. "Anyone that saw the throw to win the football game (last week), no question, that ball's a 50-yard frozen rope."

Favre already is battling his share of bumps and bruises, though, including a sore right foot that landed him on the injury report as a limited practice participant this past week. He also listed aches in his left knee, both shoulders and his neck after last week's game, which he said left him more beat than any game in his 19-year career.

While there is a distinct irony to questioning the durability of the NFL's all-time ironman, even Favre has acknowledged it might be in the Vikings' best interests to rest him at some point this season.

"The chances of any player playing consistently 16 games, not even talk about a career but just in one season, is tough," Favre said. "But you know what? It's like the way I played the other day. I'm going to get hit. If I have to block, I'll block. If I have to tackle, I'll tackle.

"Can I guarantee I'll get up every time? Who can? But I feel pretty good about it."

He needs better protection -- in three games, the Vikings have surrendered nine sacks and 19 quarterback hits -- and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said he's "preaching that every day."

Asked what reason he has to believe Favre can sustain his level of play for 16 games, plus playoffs, Bevell said, "I just know that it's Brett Favre that's out there."

It doesn't hurt that Minnesota's offense is built around the NFL's premier running back, Adrian Peterson, leaving Favre to throw the short, precision passes on which he built his career in the West Coast offense. He's only throwing for 188.7 yards per game, but his numbers -- 64.9 completion percentage, five touchdowns, one interception, 94.5 passer rating -- reflect his efficiency.

Favre also will be playing his home games in the climate-controlled comfort of the Metrodome, with only one likely cold-weather game (Dec. 28 at Chicago) on the regular-season schedule.

"As the weather starts to deteriorate, he's going to be playing indoors, and that's going to allow him to throw the ball in premier conditions," Gruden said. "But he is playing within himself. He realizes he's got arguably the best back in all of football in Peterson, a great defense."

Right or wrong, Favre also has the hopes of an often-disappointed fan base riding on his shoulders.

Yes, there is hope here right now, a belief this place has lacked for years.

It might not be clear until January whether Favre has enough miracles left to avoid another late-season letdown -- for himself and his new adopted home.