From KFAN.com
In what may go down as one of the most surreal days in NFL history, Brett Favre, wearing a purple number 4 jersey in the football cathedral where he made prayers come to fruition for 15 years, led the Vikings to a 38-26 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
As expected, Favre was booed lustily when he walked into Lambeau Field — booed by the same fans that once worshipped him. He was also booed by Packer fans as he left the field — simply feeble verbal jabs after The Silver Fox had already buried his former alliance for the second time this season.
Now that both meetings with Green Bay are in the rear view mirror, Favre, who fought back tears during his postgame interview with FOX’s Pam Oliver, can breath a sigh of relief and reflect.
“I wasn’t hoping anything. It was about what I expected I guess,” Favre said about the crowd reaction. “It was probably worse every time I took the field, offensively. I consider it a good thing. It’s better than saying nothing, I guess. I know what I did here.
“I wasn’t expecting a standing ovation, but I know what I’ve done and what I stand for.
“Deep down inside, I know how they feel. Packer fans cheer for Packers first. I know that, and I hope that everyone in the stadium watching tonight said, ‘You know, I sure hate them jokers on the other side, but he does play the way he’s always played, with his excitement and passion for the game.’ As long as I play, that’s not going to change, and I think that’s what people have admired about me throughout my career. That’s all I can do, and what I’ve done here, as I’ve said, speaks for itself. What I was apart of was awesome. That will never change.”
Packer fans certainly weren’t thinking about the 1996 Super Bowl season when Favre took the field on Sunday. Nor were they thinking of the three MVP trophies Favre won while he played in Green Bay.
All they could think about, presumably, was how their hero of 15 years donned the jersey of an arch rival. Nevermind how the two sides arrived to this point — in fact, Packer fans can blame their own front office just as much as anybody else for how things played out.
Was the booing justified? Probably. Will things eventually blow over when Favre inevitably enters the Hall of Fame as a Packer? Most likely.
But on Sunday, the tension was thick.
Favre won’t necessarily admit that the boos sting a little bit inside, but he made no secret in the days leading up to Sunday about the fact that he was hoping Packer fans would acknowledge what he brought to the city for 15 years.
They didn’t. They were probably too blinded by the bonfires containing old Favre memorabilia.
Ultimately, however, Number Four is the one laughing last.
“I had some pretty good games here with the Packers, but this is pretty high up on the list,” Favre said.
“I knew I didn’t have to prove anything. Am I glad, pleased with the way these two games have turned out? Absolutely. But I knew I could play. I knew this was a good football team, I knew the Packers were a good football team, but it had nothing to do with trying to prove myself to anyone.
“My arm feels great, my mind is in a good place, the team has welcomed me in, and all the other stuff doesn’t matter. It makes for a good story. I’m glad it’s over, I’m glad we won them both, but I’m not going to sit here an throw any daggers.”
Favre won’t throw any verbal daggers, but Viking fans sure will. This is the first time since Moss’ mooning incident five years ago when Viking fans can say, “ha-ha!”
And in reality, trailing by two games with no tie-breaker help, and meetings with Baltimore and Pittsburgh lurking in the second half, the Packers and their fans can do absolutely nothing about it.
Robison’s blunder shifts momentum
Following a 26-yard field goal by Mason Crosby that cut the Vikings lead to 24-6 in the third quarter, the Packers decided they’d seen enough of Percy Harvin, who nearly broke a touchdown on his previous two kick returns.
Instead of kicking deep, Crosby squibbed one to the Vikings’ 35-yardline, essentially conceding fantastic field position. Brian Robison picked up the ball, and instead of simply falling on the ball he decided to squeeze a few extra yards out of the return.
Devin Hester he is not. Robison fumbled, and the Packers recovered. Shortly thereafter, Aaron Rodgers hit Spencer Havner on a 16-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 11, 24-13. Lambeau Field went from comatose to jubilation.
If not for the fumble, the Vikings had a chance to drive on a short field and increase the lead to 27-6 or even 31-6. They were moving the football with relative ease and had every ounce of momentum.
The Packers followed their touchdown drive by forcing the Vikings to go three-and-out. A few plays later, Rodgers found Havner in the end zone again to make it 24-20.
The Vikings eventually answered back with touchdown passes from Favre to Jeff Dugan and from Favre to Bernard Berrian, but the temporary Undertaker-esque rise from the dead by Green Bay was nerve-racking and unnecessary.
It’s easier to say this in hindsight, but if Robison doesn’t fumble, the Vikings may have blown the Packers completely out of the water. We’ll never know.
Vikings are legit
If anyone doubted the legitimacy of the Vikings as NFC contenders, Sunday’s performance in a hostile environment answered quite a few questions.
Sure, the Vikings, like any team, have leaks. Without Antoine Winfield, tackling has clearly become a significant concern on defense. The second half near-collapses are somewhat annoying. And Adrian Peterson’s “famine, famine, feast” approach to collecting rushing yards (he’s only the 16th-most consistent running back in the NFL, according to numbers compiled by FootballOutsiders.com) is a bit unsettling.
But ultimately, the Vikings have weapons everywhere, and when the defense needs to crank up the intensity they do.
“That’s the satisfying thing,” Favre said after the game. “We’ve played, for the most part, like we’re capable of playing. That’s the satisfying part. We haven’t underachieved.”
Just look at some of the key performances from Sunday:
Jared Allen tallied three more sacks, giving him 10.5 on the season. He’s on pace for 20. Percy Harvin had a break out game, averaging 35 yards per kick return, and hauling in five passes for 84 yards and a 51-yard touchdown that saw him survey the carnage of three fallen Packers defensive backs before he waltzed into the end zone.
Favre threw for 244 yards and four touchdowns without an interception and without being sacked. In fact, in two games against Green Bay, Favre has thrown seven touchdown passes, zero interceptions, and was not sacked at all. Not once.
Aaron Rodgers was sacked 14 times in those two games.
Chad Greenway had 10 tackles. Pat Williams came alive again with five tackles and a sack. And Ray Edwards deflected two passes and tallied two sacks of his own.
Players are making plays, and the flaws the Vikings have displayed are coming, for the most part, against teams that will probably play meaningful football in January (Ravens, Steelers, Packers), yet they’re still finding a way to emerge victorious — or, in the case of the Pittsburgh game, they found a way to “outplay” the defending champions, but eventually succumbed to a barrage of defensive touchdowns.
This is fun to watch.
