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In this video, ESPN'S Trent Dilfer analyzes Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre's fourth-quarter interception in the NFC Championship Game.

NEW ORLEANS -- About 15 minutes after his season ended, Adrian Peterson emerged from the Minnesota locker room. Still wearing his full uniform and with a rare scowl on his face, Peterson walked out of the Superdome tunnel and stood transfixed. Playing out in front of him was New Orleans’ NFC championship celebration, complete with gold glitter and Will Smith’s ubiquitous “Welcome to Miami” playing over the Superdome sound system.

He stood watching for a full minute before turning his back, shoulders slumped and head down, and returning to the locker room.

“Painful,” Peterson said. “It was painful [to watch], especially the way the game ended. Our guys fought hard. I honestly thought we gave the game away. … It was just to see the feeling of the guys celebrating and dancing around. Just giving myself something good to build off this offseason.”

For me, Peterson’s polar performance Sunday will be the lasting image of the Vikings’ 31-28 loss in the NFC Championship Game. I know many will be blinded by the two-play sequence on the Vikings’ final drive -- one a penalty for 12 men on the field and the other Brett Favre’s final-throw interception in the fourth quarter. I’m aware there were some questionable decisions from referee Peter Morelli’s crew, some of which the Vikings openly questioned in the postgame locker room.

But it was Peterson who best illustrated the dichotomy of a Vikings team that beat the Saints in every way except on the scoreboard. He became the fifth running back in NFL history to rush for three touchdowns in a championship game, and his 122 yards were his highest total in nine games.

But Peterson fumbled twice and caused a turnover on a third play when he botched a handoff in the second quarter at the Saints' goal line. Worse, he was so out of control in the second half that the Vikings benched him in the most critical point of their season. Despite an overwhelming advantage on the stat sheet -- they outgained New Orleans’ explosive offense 475-257 -- the Vikings’ five turnovers denied them a chance to play in Super Bowl XLIV.

We don’t know if Favre will return next season, as my colleague Gene Wojciechowski points out, so it’s difficult to know exactly what the 2010 Vikings will look like. But one thing remains clear: If they’re going to count on Peterson as a primary building block, the Vikings must stabilize his performance from what we saw in the final half of 2009 and throughout the NFC Championship Game.

Peterson put the ball on the ground three times Sunday in a span of 10 minutes in the second and third quarters. One cost the Vikings a chance to score on 2nd-and-goal from the 4-yard line. Over-excited about the prospect of taking the lead before halftime, Peterson was slow to get his arms in a fundamental position to take the handoff from Favre.

“Poorly executed by me,” Peterson said. “Didn’t make a big enough pocket and it hit my elbow.”

Peterson admitted the play stayed on his mind in the second half and played a role in fumbles on the Vikings’ first two possessions of the third quarter. He ran wildly and seemed to break every rule of responsible running -- breaking the ball to the outside to outrun the defense, swinging the ball far from his body and contributing to a frenetic pace that left the Vikings gasping for much of the second half.

I don’t blame the Vikings one bit from playing him sparingly thereafter, but I consider it a pretty critical situation when one of a team’s best players can’t get on the field in the NFC Championship Game because he’s out of control.

“It was all about mindset in holding on to the ball,” Peterson said. “Thinking about it when you’re out there. You have to make sure you hold on to the ball. I’ve been saying it all year. It’s a battle I’ve got to fight. Eventually I overcame it.”

Indeed, Peterson returned to tie the game on a 2-yard touchdown run with 5:03 remaining, but by all rights the Vikings shouldn’t have been fighting to get even in this game. Their defense had played exceptionally well for most of the game, limiting the Saints to 15 first downs on only three of 12 conversions on third down.

“We beat ourselves,” tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said. “We made a lot of plays, but we left a lot of plays out there. Those things happen. I guess it’s too bad it happened in the NFC Championship Game.”

No player singled out Peterson, and I want to be clear that I don’t consider him anywhere close to solely at fault for the Vikings’ loss. Receivers Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin also lost fumbles, and coach Brad Childress said Favre “would be the first to tell you he wished he had those [two] throws back.”

But truth be told, the Vikings entered this game with a plan to rely on Peterson more than they have at any point during a Favre-dominated season. They opened the game with five consecutive passes, but ultimately their plan was for Peterson to help keep the Saints’ offense off the field.

“I think we knew we had to,” left guard Steve Hutchinson said. “The style and capability of the offense the Saints have, we knew we had to control the clock. And it worked, or at least part of it. I think we did that. We just had turnovers and penalties that cost us at inopportune times.”

I think that’s why Peterson was so morose after the game, even after the Vikings ran up their biggest rushing total (165 yards) since mid-October. He knew the Vikings needed him to get to Miami, but he wasn’t able to complete the job.

Although he has led the NFL in fumbles since entering the league in 2007, only a handful have negatively impacted a game. Sunday, however, was different. Peterson has said often that obsessing over fumbles only creates a compounding effect. But I think he has reached the point where he needs to consider a fundamental intervention this offseason to address the issue.

“With my running style,” he said, “it will be something I think about as far as protecting and keeping the ball high. The way I run, the ball kind of gets low. I’ve got to be more cautious of that: Keeping the ball high. That will be something I’m more conscious of in the offseason.”

As we saw Sunday, it can be the difference between watching a championship celebration from the tunnel and participating in it on the field.

NEW ORLEANS -- Minnesota was in business with one minute, six seconds remaining in regulation of the NFC Championship Game. The Vikings had the ball on first down at New Orleans’ 33-yard line, with two timeouts and the NFL’s second most-accurate field goal kicker this season.

It all unraveled, however, in a two-play sequence that will be discussed all offseason in Minnesota. Here’s a closer look:

Prior to third down at the 33, the Vikings called a timeout with 19 seconds left. They changed their personnel during the break, according to coach Brad Childress, but not every player got the message. Childress said the Vikings “slipped up” and had an extra fullback on the field, leading to a crippling 5-yard penalty for 12 men in the huddle. It’s believed the fullback was Naufahu Tahi.

That pushed the ball back to the 38-yard line, meaning placekicker Ryan Longwell -- who had converted 26 of 28 field goals during the regular season -- would be faced with a 55- or 56-yard attempt to win the game. Longwell’s career high came from 55 yards to win a 2007 game at Soldier Field.

“We would have tried that from 56 yards,” Longwell said.” But after that 12-men-on-the field penalty, they felt we needed to get a little closer.”

So the Vikings sent quarterback Brett Favre on a rollout. Afterwards, Favre would say he wished he had run the ball and called a timeout. Instead, he threw across his body toward receiver Sidney Rice at the Saints’ 22-yard line. Cornerback Tracy Porter stepped in front of Rice and intercepted the pass.

“I was actually late to Sidney,” Favre said. “I probably should have ran it. I don’t know far I could have gotten, but in hindsight, that is probably what I should have done.”

NEW ORLEANS -- Minnesota fans are now asking the same question that Green Bay fans asked two years ago: Did Brett Favre throw away his team’s chances to go to the Super Bowl?

Favre’s overtime interception in the 2007 NFC Championship Game led to the New York Giants’ winning score at Lambeau Field. Sunday, Favre threw an interception with seven seconds remaining in regulation, denying Minnesota a chance to attempt, an admittedly long, 55-yard game-winning field goal. New Orleans went on to win the NFC championship on the first possession of overtime, getting a 40-yard field goal from Garrett Hartley and ending the Vikings’ season one step short of Miami, site of Super Bowl XLIV.

It’s not fair to hold Favre responsible for the loss, especially in a drama-filled game that took as many turns as you’ll ever see in a postseason contest. Favre took a beating all evening from the Saints' defense, played much of the second half with a significant left ankle injury and was dealing with a tailback in Adrian Peterson who fumbled three times. Overall, the Vikings committed five turnovers – a performance that frankly made them fortunate to be within striking distance at the end of regulation.

I know it’s a cliché, but this is the kind of game where you hate to see either team lose. It’s easily the most dramatic and hard-fought game I’ve ever seen in person.

More in a few hours.

NEW ORLEANS -- We’ll soon find out whether Brett Favre just threw an interception on par with his 2007 mistake in the 2007 NFC Championship Game. Or was it just a bump on Minnesota’s road to the Super Bowl?

We’re headed to overtime after Favre’s interception, the Vikings’ fifth turnover of the game, denied them a chance to kick a potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation. I’ve said it before, but what an amazingly dramatic game we’re seeing. It’s an all-timer, right?

NEW ORLEANS -- In the first 55 minutes of this game, Minnesota has outgained New Orleans in yardage 429-227. Four turnovers have ensured that the score is tied 28-28.

What an amazing game. I’m going to focus in and will be back with you shortly after we have an NFC champion.

NEW ORLEANS -- Let’s just get this out of the way now.

It hasn’t been “Pants on the Ground” for Minnesota.

It’s been “Footballs on the Ground.”

The Vikings are fumbling away their chances to play in the Super Bowl. They’ve fumbled six times in this game, losing three amid a total of four turnovers. Two have come in the red zone.

Frankly, it’s amazing they’re only trailing 28-21 with 8 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in this game.

More in a bit.

NEW ORLEANS -- It’s one quarter for the NFC Championship.

That’s what it’s come to with the teams tied at 21 at the start of the fourth quarter. If Minnesota is going to the Super Bowl, it will be with a tailback who can’t hold on to the ball and a quarterback who has been brutalized all game and has some kind of left ankle injury.

Both Adrian Peterson and Brett Favre are on the field, however. Let’s all sit back and enjoy what happens next. Remember, I’m over at NFL Nation Live as well.

NEW ORLEANS -- Minnesota tied the game here in the third quarter despite Adrian Peterson. That’s right. Peterson nearly imploded on the Vikings’ first possession of the second half, fumbling once and trying way too hard to make yards outside the numbers.

As it turned out, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe got the Vikings into scoring possession with three receptions for 67 yards, his first three catches of the game. Peterson capped the drive with a 1-yard run, but he needs to calm himself or he is going to lose this game for the Vikings.

NEW ORLEANS -- Some thoughts from halftime at the Superdome:

• This game slowed down from a shootout pace for the same reason on both sides: Pass rush. New Orleans hit Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre on five of their first 12 plays, including a particularly brutal backside hit from defensive end Bobby McCray. The Saints drew a 15-yard penalty for that hit, but it might have been worth it. Favre was a bit less accurate in the second quarter, completing five of nine passes after completing 10 of 14 in the first quarter. A high throw to receiver Bernard Berrian on a third down pass was especially noteworthy.
• On defense, meanwhile, the Vikings didn’t get a sack on quarterback Drew Brees. But they’ve misdirected a number of his passes with penetration in the backfield. Defensive linemen Jared Allen, Kevin Williams and Jimmy Kennedy have all disrupted plays by getting in Brees’ face. Remember, Brees was only sacked 20 times this season. So what you’re seeing is probably the best most teams would do against him in terms of the pass rush.
• Tailback Adrian Peterson hasn’t fumbled since overtime of the Vikings’ Dec. 28 game at Chicago, and I’m not sure I’m going to give him total blame for the botched exchange that cost the Vikings at least three points near the end of the half. Either Favre got the ball to him too early, or Peterson wasn’t fully ready for the handoff. But in either event, the Vikings’ only mistake of the first half was a costly one.
• Peterson has looked particularly energetic but hasn’t really done much after running 19 yards for a touchdown at the end of the Vikings’ first drive. The Vikings will need him to bounce back from the fumble in the second half.
• To this point, the Vikings haven’t allowed Reggie Bush to impact this game. He’s fair caught two punts and allowed another to go out of bounds. And he should have called a fair catch on his fourth attempt, but instead muffed the catch and lost the ball to the Vikings. After watching the replay, did you think Kenny Onatolu was down when he recovered the ball? Or should the Vikings have been awarded a touchdown on the play? UPDATE: Thanks to readers who pointed out you can't advance a muff.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Saints hit Brett Favre on five of his first 12 passes, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct on one and knocking around the Vikings’ 40-year-old quarterback pretty well in the first quarter of the NFC Championship Game.

Overall, however, the Vikings are relying on Favre’s arm for most of their offense. They have thrown on 14 of their first 20 plays. For his sake, however, Favre might want to find an ice bucket to sit in between series.

NEW ORLEANS -- What an excellent job of play calling on Minnesota’s first drive here in the NFC Championship Game.

The Vikings opened with five consecutive passes and didn’t give tailback Adrian Peterson a touch until the seventh play of the drive. But they let Peterson take over on the Saints’ side of the field, and he took care of the final 36 yards to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead here at the Superdome.

As we discussed earlier, the Vikings have been among the best starters in games among NFL teams this season. It’s the best thing they can do to take the Saints crowd out of this game.

NEW ORLEANS -- As we’ve done throughout the playoffs, ESPN.com will host a live chat of sorts during the NFC Championship Game. I’ll be joining a number of my colleagues here at NFL Nation Live.

Mobile users enter through this link. Look for our witty banter to begin at kickoff.

I’ll also post periodically to the blog when necessary. Enjoy the game.

NEW ORLEANS -- As we expected, all three injured Minnesota players will be in uniform Sunday for the NFC Championship Game. Defensive linemen Ray Edwards (knee) and Kevin Williams (knee), along with receiver/kick returner Percy Harvin, are all active.

For New Orleans, the biggest name on the inactive list is cornerback Malcolm Jenkins (hamstring), who missed the entire week of practice. Randall Gay will be the nickelback, and my NFC South colleague Pat Yasinskas suggests Usama Young as the likely dime back, when needed.

Here are the full lists:

Minnesota: Quarterback Sage Rosenfels, receiver Jaymar Johnson, running back Albert Young, cornerback Karl Paymah, tight end Garrett Mills, linebacker J Leman, center Jon Cooper and defensive tackle Letroy Guion.

New Orleans: Quarterback Chase Daniel, linebacker Anthony Waters, guard Jamar Nesbit, tight end Darnell Dinkins, tight end Tory Humphrey, receiver Adrian Arrington, defensive end Paul Spicer and Jenkins.

NEW ORLEANS -- Suffice it to say, Minnesota is one loose team here as the NFC Championship Game approaches. We’ve already hashed through the surprise appearance of General Larry Platt at their morning team meeting. Prior to that, coach Brad Childress made a relatively cheery appearance on live radio over at KSTP-1500.

I know everyone has an opinion about pregame motivation. In this case, mine is this: The Vikings absolutely won’t win this game if they’re tight, nervous or otherwise insecure at kickoff. They have a chance if they’re relaxed enough to hit the ground with both feet.

If you’re Childress, let New Orleans be the team that carries a heavy burden into this game. The Saints are at home, playing in a city that has counted on them for inspiration during its rebuilding process from Hurricane Katrina. As the cliché goes, they’ll be as serious as a heart attack for this game.

The Vikings will have their share of seriousness Sunday, anyway. Former coach Bud Grant is their honorary captain.

OK, thus ends my philosophical rant for the day. I’m set up at the Superdome, where a number of Vikings players -- receiver Percy Harvin among them -- are already warming up on the sidelines.

I’ll get you the Vikings’ inactive lists and any lineup changes by about 5:15 p.m. ET.