Why Brett Favre Isn't To Blame for the Minnesota Vikings' Loss

There's no question about it, the last pass Brett Favre threw in this year's NFC Championship game was a grave mistake .

It was a pass he shouldn't have allowed to leave his right hand, and it's surely one he'll be thinking about all the way up until next August. Whether or not the image of that fateful play drives him to come back for another try is yet to be determined, but there's no doubt about it; it will haunt him.

Again, it was bone-headed. It was the type of throw veteran quarterbacks don't take, and it was ill-advised.

But most quarterbacks aren't Brett Favre, and few are willing to lay their reputations on the line like he did in order to get his team one step further towards winning a championship.

But as bold (or stupid) as that pass was, it wasn't what lost the Vikings the game.

And despite many articles, fans, and analysts already chalking this up as another "choke job", "failure, or "vintage Favre" end of the season gaffe, there is more to be learned by that final play, and even more importantly, how Favre played the game leading up to the interception.

He Didn't Have Many Options

I read an article that state that Favre had three options. He could either run 10-15 yards and put the Vikings in field goal position, he could have scrambled longer for a better look, or he could have done exactly what he did and throw the game away.

But here's the question: Did the 40-year old, who hasn't been able to run for 10-15 yards on any given play in years, really have a chance to pick up that many extra yards?

Did a hobbled, beaten and bruised veteran really have a chance to make it far enough to put Ryan Longwell in good position, even with a bad ankle and a battered body?

Regardless of what the tape shows (I'd give him five yards, tops), the point is that in that moment, with everything on the line, he had to make a decision. In his mind, at that time, he didn't have the juice to make a run for it.

Sure, Saints defenders were 10 yards away, but once he took off, does anyone (who isn't a Favre-hate, and was crossing their fingers for him to choke) truly believe he wasn't going to get clobbered after a four to five yard run?

Whether you care to admit it or not, there are strong odds that he would have gotten about that far, and then gotten a big hit again, which could have led to a fumble, and injury, or quite simply, a long miss by Ryan Longwell.

Which brings me to my second point.

That Potential Field Goal Was No "Gimme"

The Vikings stood at the Saints 38-yard line at 3rd-and-15, which would have left Minnesota kicker with a 55-yard field goal if the Vikings hadn't gained a single yard.

Undoubtedly, in a hostile environment, with everything on the line, a field goal from that length would have been far from a "gimme" kick.

Add a potential 5+ yards that Favre may have gotten if he took off running, and it would have still been a 50-yarder.

Again, there's no arguing that Favre made a poor decision, but to argue that he single-handedly lost this game is a joke.

Which leads me to the third argument.

Minnesota Lost This Game Before Favre's Interception

True, regardless of everything that happened, the Vikings still had a realistic chance to win the game in regulation, only to see Favre's errant throw dash their remaining faint hopes.

However, six fumbles (three lost), and an interception by Favre earlier in the game already dug the Vikings an incredible hole, in terms of momentum, leaving them gassed before their final drive.

It's truly remarkable how their defense was able to continue to stop the New Orleans Saints potent offense (24 yards in second half before the interception), and how Favre was still able to lead the Vikings to a tie game, and a chance to win it at the end.

Needless to say, despite Favre's epic interception, the Vikings would have easily been blown-out of this game if he hadn't made plays for the entire game, and kept Minnesota within reach of taking the lead.

Blame Favre? Nah, Blame the Refs

The final point is one that no unbiased fan can ignore.

For the entire game, Favre received countless hits, many deemed "late", and only received two official "late hit" penalties in his favor. This might have been the biggest joke of the entire game.

For a league that has emphasized protecting the quarterback in recent years, especially since Tom Brady was knocked out of the season by a low hit in 2007, it was absolutely disgusting how many free shots the Saints were allowed to get on Favre.

The low hit to the knees was the most disturbing one, while there were several others that went ignored. In fact, there was even a play when Favre was sacked, but then picked up and driven into the ground.

The Saints were penalized for that play, but analyst Troy Aikman, a former quarterback, complained that it was a bad call, while fellow analyst Joe Buck disagreed, wisely stating that it was a blatant late hit.

But that was before Favre's fateful throw.

The came overtime, where the Saints "marched" down the field, but were truly given three first downs on three separate occasions.

The three plays in question are a first down given on a "pass interference play," where Ben Leber was covering David Thomas.

The ball was thrown out of reach, above and past Thomas, making it a controversial call, as the pass was arguably unreachable.

But more than that, it was a blatant "phantom foul", as Leber hardly ever touched Thomas, and it was clear on tape that Thomas merely tripped as he jumped for a ball that was clearly out of his reach.

That call gave New Orleans all the momentum and yardage it really needed to claim the game.

There were also two first down plays, one on fourth down, and another that, had it not been completed, would have resulted in a long third down for the Saints.

The first was the past to Robert Meachem, who came down with the ball, juggling it on his way to the ground, and then only held possession of the ball after he hit the ground, with the ball slightly bouncing off the turf and into his hands.

The booth reviewed this play, and despite two of three angles clearly showing that it was not a clear-cut reception, they called it a catch.

On 4th-and-"inches" (another nice spotted ball for the Saints), New Orleans had Pierre Thomas jump over the top of the pile to get the first down.

However, a review clearly showed Chad Greenway's helmet hit the ball out of Thomas's hands, sending the ball and Thomas backward, at least a half of a yard shot of the first down.

The call? First down, Saints.

There was yet another call, where Saints quarterback Drew Brees ran a quarterback sneak on fourth down, which was again converted, although the line pushed Brees back, and the ball was clearly in his mid-section, and not extended past the first down marker.

Those four missed calls, three of them reviewed and still not overturned, are what truly lost the Vikings this game, and ultimately gave the Saints their first Super Bowl berth in franchise history.

Other Interesting Notes

It's a little more than interesting that the league's top pass rushing defense (48 sacks in the regular season) wasn't able to sack Drew Brees once until the final quarter, yet not a single offensive holding call was called against New Orleans in pass protection.

That isn't just rare or unique. That's absolutely ridiculous.

The old adage "holding happens on every play" suggests the refs weren't doing a very fine job of calling those plays.

And the reverse side of that is that, while Brees was safe and protected (by the refs, or his line: you decide), Brett Favre was beaten to a pulp the entire game, with very little help from the refs.

It was almost like the Saints never stood a chance at losing this game.

However, the most magical part about the whole night was that, despite everything going the Saints way, the Vikings still had an opportunity to win the game at the end.

Regardless, the game is over, and what happened, happened .

But with all things considered, we'd be fools to blame Brett Favre, Brad Childress, to the Vikings defense, for a game that they truly never had coming to them.

And I've got a strange suspicion, that the majority of people who disagree with this notion, are either cheering on their beloved Saints, or were hoping Favre would make this very mistake, all along.

My only hope is that Favre returns, knowing that he and his Vikings were much closer than they think, and that they can get back to this spot again next season.

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