Time will soon tell whether these were the real Minnesota Vikings. For now, they sure finished the regular season on a strong note.

Brett Favre and the rest of his teammates did everything right that went wrong in December, aggressively pursuing the swagger they had before the slump to move into the playoffs with a 44-7 victory over the barely-there New York Giants on Sunday.

"I think it's proof of what we're capable of doing," said Favre, who completed 25 of 31 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns in less than three quarters without a turnover. "Where it takes us from here, I have no idea. But it was definitely a momentum boost and confidence."

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, sounding unconcerned about the outcome.

When the Cowboys emerged with a 24-0 victory, the Vikings became the No. 2 seed behind sputtering New Orleans in the NFC field with a bye for the first round.

Favre 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.

He made it through 16 games without much harm, either.

"Everyone wants to talk about me being 40. I'm fine," Favre said, weighing the pros and cons of the bye while declaring himself fit for the playoff run either way. "Would it help? I'm sure it would. But I'm fine."

The Vikings have questions about their offensive line and secondary to answer, but they can forget about one worry already: They're guaranteed to play inside until the Super Bowl in sunny Miami. They'll have at least one game at the comfy Metrodome, where they went 8-0 for the first time since going 15-1 in 1998.

After 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, the Vikings were determined to regain their edge.

They tried 35 passes and ran only 22 times during the first three quarters, even keeping the offense on the field for fourth-and-goal at the 1 on Favre's final possession. He capped it with a touchdown pass to fullback Naufahu Tahi to make it 44-0.

Childress attempted to downplay the aggressiveness, but cornerback Cedric Griffin said the coaches emphasized "having a statement game" before the playoffs.

"Just wanted to stay on the gas," Childress said.