CLEVELAND -- The Minnesota Vikings begged Brett Favre to come out of retirement for this? They gave him a $12 million contract for this season for a 110-yard passing day? They risked the delicate chemistry of their championship-caliber team for, as coach Brad Childress put it, a "workmanlike" performance?

Absolutely, they did.

They're pretty happy about it, too.

You heard the final score from yesterday, right?

Vikings 34, Cleveland Browns 20.

"No blips," Childress said of Favre's Vikings debut. "I don't want to make unspectacular sound bad. Just make the routine plays routinely. I talk about that all the time. That's what we're looking for."

If anything became clear on a gorgeous day on the Lake Erie shore -- other than the fact that the Browns are a really bad team with a really dreadful offense -- it is that Favre, a three-time NFL MVP and 10-time Pro Bowler, doesn't have to be the Favre of yesterday or the Ben Roethlisberger of today for the Vikings to make a serious run at Super Bowl XLIV. Extraordinary running back Adrian Peterson and a great defense will carry the heaviest loads on that journey. All Favre has to do is not be Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels, the stiffs behind him on the team's quarterback depth chart. All he has to do is not make the killer mistakes that doom a good team.

That's a good thing for Favre because he's clearly not the old Favre or the new hotshot, Roethlisberger. Not with his 40th birthday less than a month away. Not with a bad right arm that failed him late last season with the New York Jets and led to, what -- his seventh or eighth retirement?

Seriously, the man made tougher throws in his Wrangler jeans commercials than he did yesterday.

"It wasn't a 400-yard passing game, but it doesn't have to be," Favre said of his dink-and-dunk day. "I'll be the first to tell you I'll take that every day of the week as long as we win. ...

"I felt really comfortable. I felt like I'm gaining the respect of the guys on this team."

Childress was happy because the Vikings didn't turn the ball over. Favre took four sacks instead of throwing the ball recklessly, which he has been known to do. He also took only three shots down the field, perhaps because that bad wing won't allow him to throw deep so much anymore.

Favre was happy he added to the NFL record he most cherishes; this was his 170th win as a starting quarterback. He tried to make that point to his new teammates last week after he asked Childress if he could speak to the squad. Many players weren't thrilled that Favre didn't join them until Aug. 18 -- after training camp had ended -- and wondered if he did so just to get one more big check. His little 10-minute speech must have worked because the fellas voted him as one of their captains later in the week.

"I have one agenda," Favre said of that talk. "That is to win games, however that needs to be done."

The Vikings' formula yesterday was as predictable as it gets.

Peterson had 25 carries for 180 yards. "Spectacular" fairly describes his 64-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. "I haven't played with a running back like that," Favre said. "The guy is pretty awesome. Everyone in the stadium knows he's going to get [the ball] and he still gets 180 yards."

The Vikings' defense took care of the rest. It kept the Browns' offense out of the end zone until the final minute, not that there is much to brag about there. The Browns finished last season by going six consecutive games without an offensive touchdown.

Did I mention they are dreadful?

You'll probably be delighted to know the only thing Browns fans had to cheer about all day came when LeBron James was shown on the big scoreboard, sitting in a luxury box.

That's really dreadful.

As for the Vikings' offense, Favre predicted it will improve as he gets to know his receivers and they him. He mentioned the easy touchdown they wasted in the first half when receiver Sidney Rice read the coverage one way and he another. "He was right, I was wrong," Favre said. "We're doing things on the fly right now."

That chemistry will come. A much bigger concern about Favre is if he'll hold up physically. He started fast with the Jets last season before he and the team faded down the stretch. He threw nine interceptions in the final five games and the Jets lost four times to miss the playoffs, costing coach Eric Mangini his job. Coincidentally, Mangini landed with the Browns and probably was wishing yesterday that he had Favre -- sore arm and all -- instead of overmatched (at least for now) Brady Quinn as his quarterback.

Really, it's fair to wonder if Favre will make it to the Oct. 25 game at Heinz Field against the Steelers, let alone make it through the entire season.

Not that Favre was thinking much about that yesterday. You should have seen him when he threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Percy Harvin in the third quarter. He was so happy that he tackled Harvin in the end zone. It was his record 465th touchdown pass, one he had doubts he would get after he made that seventh or eighth retirement announcement.

"I don't know how many I've thrown, but they've all been a blast," Favre said. "That one ranks up there near the top. ...

"I had a lot of fun today. I was pretty excited."

Funny, so were Childress and the Vikings.

Workmanlike never seemed so good.