The Vikings and their fans never saw what the rest of us did, did they?

They were willing to take the Brett Favre on his terms, and were willing to overlook the fine print at the bottom of the contract. The part that says that this is all about Favre, not about the team. All about Favre being able to run this team that way he ran the full-of-piss-and-vinegar Packers back in the day. All about winning on Favre’s terms or not winning at all. All about the head coach taking a back seat if he knows what’s good for him. All about one individual standing out even in the ultimate team sport.

The Vikes told Favre to take his time coming back, so he did. Until they begged him to return and get in some kind of rhythm before the real games started. At $1.25 million a game, how could he say no? All right. If you insist.

Now the devil is here to collect his soul, and the 2-4 Vikings trudge into Foxboro on Halloween afternoon desperate to stay relevant in a winnable NFC North. And the big question is: Will Favre continue to call the shots, or will coach Brad Childress finally show some spine and bench the 29th-ranked quarterback in the league?

“It goes back to taking care of the football,” said Childress after Sunday’s loss to Green Bay in which which Favre threw three interceptions. “You can’t throw it to them. You’ve got to play within he confines of our system. Sometimes it’s OK to punt the football.”

The Vikings’ game plan was for Favre to take the snap from center, turn and dutifully hand the ball to one of the top running backs in the league (Adrian Peterson) and wear down the Packer defense with short- and at most intermediate-range passes. That may have been Childress’s plan, but apparently Chilly didn’t pass it by Favre, who figures that possession of the football after each snap gives him veto power over anything the Viking coaches dream up.

The Vikings have this week to repair the damage done to whatever relationship still exists between Chilly and Favre before heading to New England, where the Patriots have not lost a regular-season game since 2008.

Randy Moss’s return to New England will certainly stir the stew a bit in Foxboro, and Moss -- whose motivation last season was questioned on several occasions -- figures to be on his best, stick-it-to-the-team-that-wouldn’t-pay-me behavior. Moss wasn’t having a great year in New England before the trade, but Patriots watchers insist that defenses have already adjusted to dealing with NE sans Moss. Wes Welker has only 11 catches since Moss’s departure, and the Chargers bottled him up (25 yards total) last Sunday.

Tom Brady was very un-Tom Bradylike against the Chargers (19/32 and just 128 yards), but he loves the spotlight that shines in big games, and the light will be brighter than bright when the wounded Vikings limp into town with Brett Favre and his 4 tons of luggage in tow.