SAN FRANCISCO -- Whether it was Mike Holmgren or it's Mike Sherman, anybody who has coached the Packers knows when the weather is bad, the safest place for the football is in the huge right hand of quarterback Brett Favre.

After Sunday's playoff-like 20-14 victory by the Packers over the 49ers in windy, wet 3Com Park, Sherman mentioned that Favre's hand size is 10 5/8 inches. "I'd rather have big hands than small ones," Favre said before getting a curious look on his face during the postgame news conference.

He mentioned that he wears size 14 shoes. Afterward, he joked that having big shoes means having huge socks, but the discussion threw him off a bit.

	Favre

"Where is this all going?" asked Favre, wondering how his wife would like this size discussion broadcast everywhere.

Where this is all going is that when the weather is bad, the Packers want the ball in the hands of Favre, perhaps the greatest foul-weather quarterback in NFL history. He's 34-0 at Lambeau Field -- playoffs included -- when the temperature is 34 degrees or below. On Sunday, wind gusts between 22 and 35 mph blasted through Candlestick Point. Rain came in different stages. There was drizzle. There were downpours. But the wind was constant.

"There were several balls in the third quarter that were difficult for me to throw because of the wind," Favre said.

But in the third quarter, Sherman sat back and watched as he once again became a "Favre-weather" fan. A four-possession first half in which three drives started between the Packers 1- and 21- yard lines forced Sherman to call a conservative game plan. He ran on first downs and Ahman Green was mostly stopped. The pass plays were basic and safe. Favre would drop back, look for the first read and if that wasn't open, he'd dump it over the middle to a tight end or back.

The wind and the rain turned both clubs' West Coast offenses into passing versions of the Woody Hayes "Three-yards and a cloud of dust" philosophy. Minus the dust, of course. Favre completed 11 of 15 passes in the first half for 50 yards. Niners quarterback Jeff Garcia completed 10 of 18 for 51. The result was a 6-3 lead for San Francisco at the half.

"The game was going so fast," Sherman said. "I told them at halftime, 'This game's going to be over before you know it. It's flying. You better not miss out on any opportunities that come your way.' "

Favre grabbed the football with his big, veteran hands, stood up to the wind and let it fly. On a third down, he rifled a 15-yard pass against the wind to wide receiver Donald Driver. That was the longest pass thrown at the time and only the fifth completed to a wide receiver. Ignoring the conditions, Favre completed a 23-yarder to tight end Tyrone Davis and a 22-yarder to Terry Glenn.

That opened up the running game, and Green broke through the middle of the 49ers defense for the game's first touchdown and a 10-6 lead, completing a 79-yard drive in nine plays.

"The 49ers were doing a great job of stopping the run," Favre said. "Against the wind in the third quarter, I was a little surprised how well we threw it."

But Favre also knew that a turnover could cost him the game. Instead, it was Garcia who made the game's only turnover. Middle linebacker Hardy Nickerson had his hands on Garcia, who dumped a pass toward the line of scrimmage after Favre's 79-yard touchdown drive. The ball hit off a Packers offensive linemen and into the hands of defensive end Vonnie Holliday.

	“	I was very pleased by the fact that we were able to convert a touchdown on their turnover. We were able to put up 14 points in the third quarter and that made a difference. ”
		— Packers coach Mike Sherman

Holliday raced toward the right sideline, lateralled the ball to linebacker Na'il Diggs to complete a 33-yard return to the 49ers 29. Six plays later, Favre zipped a pass to Driver for a 5-yard touchdown to open a 17-6 cushion. After throwing for only 50 yards in the first half, Favre completed nine of 11 for 110 yards and a touchdown going against the wind.

"I was very pleased by the fact that we were able to convert a touchdown on their turnover," Sherman said. "We were able to put up 14 points in the third quarter and that made a difference."

It's no wonder that Favre is in contention for his fourth MVP trophy. As the weather gets colder or wetter or the games get bigger, Favre can wrap his big hands around the football and win football games.

"He's the type of quarterback who's not going to drill it to you when you're wide open," Driver said. "If he's trying to get the ball in between two or three defenders, you know it's coming in fast. All of our receivers know that, as well as our tight ends and backs."

Favre used proper patience on the Driver touchdown and threw before he made his break. That extra half tick of the clock made it easier for him to break free of his defender -- rookie cornerback Mike Rumph -- who he beat with an inside move on the slant route that seemed all too easy.

"These are the type of conditions I played in in college," Favre said. "I tend to focus better in bad conditions."

Favre finished 25 of 33 for 201 yards and one touchdown. Sure, his longest completion was only 23 yards, but he made no turnovers.

Still, the Packers left the winds on Candlestick Point knowing that they still have a tough two weeks ahead. Favre's goal is to play at Lambeau throughout the playoffs, but technically, their 11-3 record still has them third in the tie-breakers. If they finish in a three-way tie with Philadelphia and Tampa Bay at the end of the season, they lose out and don't get a chance to get a bye week. The Eagles haven't lost a conference game, so they get the top seed. The Bucs beat the Packers so they get the second seed. That means if the Packers win their first week playoff game, they would have to go to Philadelphia or Tampa Bay to play in the second round.

Those worries are for other times, though, because this victory had the feel of a playoff game. And it was Favre -- and his right hand -- who once again came up big.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.