Brad Childress safe; Brett Favre ailing

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Despite the Minnesota Vikings' sixth loss of the season Sunday, coach Brad Childress' job appears safe for the time being.

Owner Zygi Wilf told ESPN's Ed Werder following the Vikings' 27-13 loss to the Chicago Bears that he would not consider firing Childress.

Wilf did say, though, that he would be traveling to Minneapolis after the Vikings (3-6) fell three games behind Green Bay and Chicago in the NFC North.

On Oct. 5, a team source told Werder that Wilf considered firing Childress after the mishandling of Randy Moss' release. However, the Vikings rebounded with a victory last week, 27-24 over Arizona in overtime.

This time, there were no late rallies. And with the Vikings well back in the playoff chase after Sunday's loss, quarterback Brett Favre was asked if he would keep playing this season if they were mathematically eliminated.

"Let's not worry about that," Favre said. "Don't push it. ... I think there's still a little hope left. I can't speak for the rest of the team, but I do know the consensus seemed to be afterward that there is life still left."

The loss also figures to spark more calls for coach Brad Childress' firing.

"You deal with it," he said. "It's not something you're happy to deal with. ... My name is behind the Vikings team. It all starts with me."

Asked if he'll be coaching next week, Childress said, "Until I get any word differently, yeah."

The Vikings were widely viewed as a favorite in the NFC when the season began and certainly didn't envision it going this way.

They brought in Moss in early October and released him about a month later, stunning players, management and ownership and raising questions about Childress' job security. The coach also nearly came to blows with Percy Harvin in practice.

Those flare-ups diverted attention from Favre, who has two fractures in his left foot and has dealt with tendinitis in his right elbow.

Following his postgame news conference, Favre told Werder that he now has pain in his right shoulder that could be related to surgery he had to repair a partially torn biceps tendon following the 2008 season.

Favre told Werder he experienced a sharp pain there while putting on a T-shirt at practice Saturday and there was discussion about taking a pain-killing injection to play against the Bears, but that was eventually deemed unnecessary.

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Charles Rex ArbogastBrett Favre, who threw 3 second-half INTs on Sunday, felt enough pain in his shoulder to consider a pregame painkiller.

Favre said the shoulder was examined by team doctors and will likely be rechecked Monday. Favre said he experienced no pain during the game but wondered if his underthrown pass on a deep pattern to an open Harvin might have indicated otherwise.

Favre, who has started an NFL-record 294 consecutive games, told reporters twice earlier in the season that he would be willing to sit if the pain in either his elbow or his ankle became overwhelming.

After his elbow flared up following a loss to the New York Jets in Week 5, Favre said, "I don't want to play just to play. It's kind of a funny injury. It could flare up and get worse."

Then, after the Vikings lost to the Packers 28-24 in Lambeau Field in Week 7, Favre said that two fractures in his ankle could sideline him if the pain worsened.

"If I can play but not be effective, then it's not worth playing," Favre said on Oct. 24. "I hope I use good judgment, so we'll see. I'm no spring chicken anymore. I don't heal as quickly."

Favre has pushed through both injuries, thus far, but the ailments -- and the Vikings' losses -- are piling up.

Favre is also dealing with the off-field investigation by the NFL into allegations that he sent messages and lewd photos to a former New York Jets employee two years ago.

Among all of those issues, Favre's future -- as always -- remains a burning question.

In an interview with the NFL Network this past week, Favre answered "no" when asked if he would play next year. Of course, he has been known to change his mind, but that's looking less and less likely with each loss.

"As I said when I came here last year, my first press conference -- if it ended then, if it ended today, if it ends at the end of this year, if it ended before the start of this year, it's been a wonderful career," Favre said after the game Sunday. "I hold no regrets. It's been everything I thought it would've been and then some."

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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