Brett Favre had a workmanlike performance in his Vikings debut Sunday, completing 14 of 21 passes for 110 yards and one touchdown.

The performance was efficient but it did not include many shots down the field by Favre. Our friend Kevin Seifert got an interesting stat from the ESPN research department that underscores that point.

Of Favre's 21 passes, he targeted a running back or tight end about 60 percent of the time. And only four passes traveled more than five yards in the air. Here is Seifert's report.

There's a couple of theories on the lack of throws down the field. Favre admittedly is still trying to develop chemistry with his receivers, particularly Bernard Berrian, who has been slowed by a hamstring injury. Berrian played extensively, but he didn't appear to be 100 percent. He is their best vertical threat but he had trouble running past his defender yesterday.

The Browns also blitzed a lot out of their 3-4 scheme so that made it difficult for Favre to sit in the pocket and wait for a receiver to get downfield.

But mostly, the Vikings didn't really need to take a lot of shots down the field because they were pounding the Browns on the ground with Adrian Peterson in the second half.

The Vikings obviously will face tougher opponents than the Browns and will need to stretch the field more to keep defenses honest. That should come with time as Favre becomes more comfortable with his receivers and Berrian gets completely healthy.