If Thursday night was the Lambeau Field farewell for Brett Favre, he went out a winner. The 9-7 victory over Minnesota was the third straight for the 7-8 Packers, who are still in contention for an NFC Wild Card berth.

Favre walked off the field waving to the Lambeau faithful -- but, he did that last year, too, and came back to play another season. Everyone thinks they know what Favre is going to do. Personally, I don't think even Favre knows yet.

You wonder if Bubba Franks may have played his last game at Lambeau. Unlike Favre, Bubba may be given a pink slip -- which he might fumble. From dropped passes to a fumble at the goal line to a costly holding call, it was an unsightly trifecta for Franks. It's been painful to watch his regression the last two years.

The Packers defense certainly did some solid work -- but Minnesota's offense is hardly a measuring stick. In the end, it came down a kicker. No, not Ryan Longwell. The Packers' all-time leading scorer didn't get a chance to beat his old team. The Vikings impotent offense never gave him a chance to even try a field goal.

Meanwhile, Longwell's successor, Dave Rayner, won the game with his third field goal of the night. He also missed two. If Rayner had missed the game-winner, he may have never emerged from Longwell's shadow. Now, he can bask in the glow of making his first real pressure kick with the Packers.

The Packers are still alive in the NFC playoff race. Quite honestly, that's hard to believe.