It was the football equivalent of a "turnabout" dance.

After sitting on the edge of their seats for several spine-tingling hours Sunday evening, Vikings fans now know what it feels like to have Brett Favre break their hearts in a do-or-die moment.

Packers fans know the feeling all too well.

As for the green and gold side of the Mississippi, residents of Packer Nation learned what fans in Minnesota and everywhere else in the NFL universe felt while watching Favre compete for Green Bay over 16 years.

No matter how much you loathe Favre, his team, his coach, the way the announcers trip over themselves to deify him and the way officials help him pull his jersey back over his shoulder pads when he gets disheveled -- you have to admit that he's the most compelling competitor of our generation, if not all time.

Even the most hardened Vikings haters had to feel a tinge of empathy and sadness when Favre limped off the field after New Orleans took a 31-28 overtime victory in the NFC Championship Game.

Battered and bruised by a Saints defense that didn't register an official sack, Favre channeled Willis Reed and other injured heroes and carried his team within striking distance of the Super Bowl in a game that was both tense and sloppy.

And then, he made a mistake that cost his team a chance to win and added another chapter to his personal Shakespearean tragedy.

Facing third and 10 from the 33-yard line, the Vikings came out of a timeout and committed an inexcusable and almost inexplicable penalty for having 12 men in the huddle.

Now facing third and 15 from the 38, Favre rolled to his right on his gimpy ankle. With open real estate in front of him, he tried to force a pass against the grain to Sidney Rice. Saints cornerback Tracy Porter cut in front for an interception.

It was probably Favre's worst pass of an otherwise brilliant season. It may go down as one of the worst of his 19-year NFL career. Instead of trying for a game-winning field goal by Ryan Longwell -- one of the more accurate long-distance kickers in league history -- the Vikings survived two plays in regulation, lost the coin toss and then watched New Orleans win the coin toss, setting up Garrett Hartley's 40-yard field goal.

Favre, who had rallied the Vikings for a tying score with 5 minutes left, finished the game with 310 passing yards, a touchdown, two interceptions and a lackluster quarterback rating of 70.0.

As always, Favre was in the spotlight. The Vikings dominated the stat sheet. They outgained New Orleans, 475-257. They ran 82 offensive plays to 55 for the Saints. They controlled the ball for nine more minutes than New Orleans.

But, they also fumbled early and often. They blew a golden scoring chance at the end of the first half. They gave up a 40-yard kickoff return to Pierre Thomas in overtime. The penalty for too many men in the huddle was horrendous.

Favre doesn't deserve the blame for this loss. Vikings fans are likely cursing Adrian Peterson and Childress.

But, Favre's legacy -- which features the haunting pain of several close losses -- may be the memory of blood-and-guts, let-it-all-hang-out effort that falls short. For all of his accomplishments, Favre is 13-11 overall in the playoffs. He is 4-9 in his last 13 outings. His resume features the loss to Denver in the Super Bowl, the fourth and 26 game, the 2008 NFC Championship Game and now the loss at the Superdome, which is roughly an hour away from his home.

As he enters another off-season of "should I stay or should I go" deliberations, Favre will be haunted by the memory of another Super opportunity that slipped through his fingers. During the regular season, he played better than anyone expected. When push came to shove, he performed as exactly as many of his detractors predicted.

If Sunday ends up being Favre's final game, it can fairly be called a disappointment. But, it can't really be considered a surprise.