Editor's note: To read Dave Begel's counterpoint, click here.

GREEN BAY -- The Brett Favre fans and apologists aren't going to change their minds any time soon, if ever, so we might as well begin this discussion with a few simple concessions:

Brett Favre and his Vikings defeated the Packers, 38-26, Sunday afternoon. They did it fair and square. They did it in a hostile environment before a jacked-up record regular-season crowd of 71,213. With a national TV audience watching, the men in purple helmets assumed a commanding position in the race for the NFC North title.

Now, let's look back at the previous paragraph...

You'll notice that we took special care to mention that Brett Favre AND HIS VIKINGS. Though many fans envision him working his magic with a Superman-style cape, Favre didn't act alone on Sunday. He got help from Percy Harvin, Adrian Peterson, Bernard Berrian, Jared Allen, Chad Greenway, A.J. Henderson and a host of others, including a handful of fellows in green jerseys and gold helmets.

That's right.

The Packers gave aid and comfort to the enemy in the form of shoddy execution, mental lapses, loss of self control and suspect strategy.

Those factors had as much to do with the outcome -- if not more -- than Favre's brilliance.

Make no mistake -- Favre played splendidly. His ability to read defenses and deliver the ball quickly and accurately to the proper receiver is beyond stunning. He's arguably the best of all time.

But, to posit -- as my friend and colleague Dave Begel does -- that Favre won this game singlehandedly and that the Packers would be better off with Favre today, tomorrow and last year is beyond delusional.

Ask yourself this, Dave: If everything else was the same and you traded quarterbacks for this game, would the Vikings have won?

I believe the answer is yes.

Aaron Rodgers isn't the reason the Packers lost this game. He's the reason they still had a chance to win in the fourth quarter.

Rodgers wasn't on the kickoff team that allowed Harvin to run wild. He didn't take a butt-headed head-butt penalty that extended a drive and led to points. He didn't miss tackles, make foolish gambles in open space or miss a critical field goal in nearly perfect conditions.

His teammates took care of that.

Rodgers was out of sync in the first half. He admitted as much afterward. He missed some throws and held the ball too long a couple times. He also endured another in a series of savage beatings behind an offensive line that makes the Brewers' starting rotation look like the gold standard of athletic competence.

A lesser quarterback -- and the league is full of them -- would have folded the tent, blown up the deficit, put on a baseball cap and watched the second half of the game from the safety of the bench with a forlorn look on his face.

Rodgers, through sheer will, kept the Packers viable by scrambling out of danger and firing passes to receivers who had struggled to get open.

Favre fans, of all people, should have appreciated the effort for they seem to forget the most fundamental fact that needs to be considering Aaron Rodgers, which is this:

THE GUY IS IN HIS SECOND SEASON AS AN NFL STARTING QUARTERBACK!

That's right. While browsing through their misty, water-color memories of Favre's brilliant career, Begel and his ilk conveniently forget the many frustrating, boneheaded decisions that Favre made -- particularly early in his career -- and the ache of heartbreaking losses like the one Rodgers presided over on Sunday.

If you think that Rodgers should have singlehandedly lifted the Packers to victory on Sunday, you are entitled to your opinion. That's fine. That's what being a sports fan/observer is about.

For the sake of consistency, however, I'd like to hear you hold Favre to the same standard and proclaim that he should have done the same for the Packers during all those seasons that ended with lopsided losses to the far superior Cowboys teams led by Troy Aikman, who was in the broadcast booth Sunday.

While you consider that, I'm going to repeat this again, because Begel is getting on in years and may be hard of hearing: Aaron Rodgers is in his second full season as a starter.

Sunday marked the 23rd start of his career which, by my count, is one fewer than Brett Favre has made since he left Green Bay on a private jet in August 2008.

How about a quick history lesson? Favre has faded in the second half of his past several seasons and could be poised to do the same in the coming months.

But, let's go back a bit more...

In Favre's second season as a starter, the Packers posted a 9-7 record. Favre threw 19 touchdowns and 24 interceptions and compiled a passer rating of 72.2 -- the worst of his storied career. Is this bringing back any memories? Sports talk radio was in its infancy and the internet was still years away from being an indispensable device for sports fans, but there were plenty of people hanging around saloons and water coolers who were calling for Favre to be benched in favor of Ty Detmer, Mark Brunell, Matt Hasselbeck or (insert other backup here).

Is anybody calling for Rodgers to be benched? If you polled the 32 general managers in the NFL and asked which quarterback they'd rather on their roster today -- factoring in age and upside -- I guarantee a majority would cast their lot with Rodgers.

Now, you say he can't win the big one yet. It's impossible to refute that claim. But, that's what people said about Peyton Manning until he won a Super Bowl. How many "big ones" did Favre win before the cast around him improved?

Rodgers has high expectations of himself, perhaps higher than those burnished by fans who hold him to an incredible standard while watching him operate in the shadow of his legendary predecessor.

The 2009 Packers have notable problems on offense, defense and special teams. They lack discipline at times, are struggling to adapt to a new defensive scheme that has minimized the impact of some Pro Bowl performers and have a kicker who suddenly isn't dependable.

These are serious problems that may prevent the Packers from making an impact in the playoffs this year.

The current quarterback, however, is not a problem. He's a big part of the solution. He's a reason for hope. And, he's in his second season as a starter -- did we mention that?