MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Time will soon tell whether these were the real Minnesota Vikings. For now, they sure finished the regular season on a strong note. Brett Favre and the rest of his teammates did everything right that went wrong in December, aggressively pursuing the swagger they had before the slump to move into the playoffs with a 44-7 victory against the barely-there New York Giants on Sunday. ‘‘I think it’s proof of what we’re capable of doing,’’ said Favre, who completed 25 of 31 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns in less than three quarters without a turnover. ‘‘Where it takes us from here, I have no idea. But it was definitely a momentum boost and confidence.’’ Controlling the game from the very first drive against a Giants team sitting five players who started at least four games this season, the Vikings (12-4) cruised into the locker room to start watching the Philadelphia-Dallas game, sounding unconcerned about the outcome. When the Cowboys emerged with a 24-0 victory, the Vikings became the No. 2 seed behind sputtering New Orleans in the NFC field with a bye for the first round. Favre surpassed 30 touchdowns for the ninth time in his career and 4,000 yards for the sixth time, finishing with a mere seven interceptions — the fewest of his 18-year run as a starter. He made it through 16 games without much harm, either. ‘‘Everyone wants to talk about me being 4.