Sidney Rice Gaffney’s Sidney Rice appears to be emerging as Brett Favre’s go-to guy.

But the modest Rice is downplaying his role as one of the Minnesota Vikings’ marquee players.

“I think we have a good relationship but it’s just not me and Brett,” said Rice in a telephone conversation from his Minneapolis home on Tuesday. “Brett has a good relationship with all the receivers.”

But there’s no denying Favre looked for Rice during Sunday’s winning field goal drive. Rice caught six passes for 176 yards, including a 58-yard catch on a improvised go route late in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning field goal.

“It’s great having a guy like (Brett) that’s been in the game for so long and that knows the ropes. There isn’t a situation that he hasn’t seen,” Rice said.

Favre’s impact on the team and on Rice has been huge, according to the third-year wide receiver.

“The coaches have brought him in for a reason,” Rice said. “It’s his attitude. All the things that he does has helped me mature as a player. He puts in the extra work that it takes to be a real pro.”

Rice admitted that last year’s production was below his expectations. But he battled a knee injury all season. He wasn’t at full strength until this summer.

“I was disappointed last year,” he said. “I got hurt in the second game and never fully recovered until July.”

He credits his big start to the time he spent in the off season working out with several NFL stars, including Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr.

Jerry Rice and Cris Carter also participated in the workouts.

“A lot of technique work, hard training, a lot of running and picking up a couple of new things that I need to work on from Larry as well,” Rice said. “It was a great wake-up call.”

That training regimen has paid off this season as Rice leads the team in receptions with 23. He’s also averaging a whopping 17.8 yards a catch.

“It just goes to show that the hard work you put in after practice pays off,” he said.

Gaffney and University of South Carolina fans have been aware of Rice’s immense gifts for a while. After Sunday’s performance on national television, the entire league and national media will begin to take notice. In Tuesday’s USA Today, Rice received the Unsung Hero award in a weekly NFL wrapup.

“Sunday’s game was awesome and scary as well,” said Rice, who admitted he didn’t get a good look at Baltimore place kicker Steve Hauschka missed field goal that would have won the game at the final whistle.

“I just felt my heart beating through my uniform,” he said. I sat down beside (Favre) and neither of us was looking. But when (Hauschka) kicked it I looked up but I couldn’t tell by the angle if it was good so I looked at the reaction of my teammates and my fans.”

The Vikings remain one of the NFL’s few undefeated teams. They’ll have another stern test Sunday at the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

“It’s a great feeling to be 6-0,” Rice said. “It was a real big win, but it’s a long season. We’re not even at the halfway mark. We still have a lot to work on.”