Brett Favre Wins, Twists Dagger of Betrayal

The Monday night matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers lived up to all the hype.  Brett Favre had been mostly a game manager in the first three game of the season, letting Adrian Peterson wreak havoc on opposing defenses.  However, this particular night was all about Brett, and, boy, did he give us a show.  He was good for 77 percent passing, three touchdowns, and no turnovers.

As a Packers fan, I have always been thrilled to see Favre succeed, and a stat-line like that has always brought a smile to my face, but this one is different.  Brett Favre making fools of the Packers?  It just hurts.

Sure, the Green Bay defense bottled up Peterson, limiting him to a putrid 2.2 yards-per-carry.  Clay Matthews' strip-returned-for-touchdown was exciting.  And it was great to see the rookie Jermichael Finley break out with a couple incredible plays.

But where has Greg Jennings disappeared to?  Does our offensive line know that it is their job to protect Aaron Rodgers?  Is our defense incapable of putting any pressure an opposing quarterback?  Favre wouldn't have been able to do what he did without what seemed like seven seconds each time he dropped back to find an open receiver.  And yes, it actually was 7.34 seconds one of those times.

As bad as that game felt for Packer fans to watch, we were really only a couple plays/mistakes away from winning that thing.  Aaron Rodgers's fumble in the red zone on an extra important opening drive hurt.  The turnover-on-downs after second and goal on the one-yard line didn't help.  That's 10-14 points left on the field, which would have made a big difference in the outcome of the game.

The result of this game doesn't at all answer the debate over whether the Packers made the mistake of letting Favre walk and hitching their wagon to Rodgers.  They both played excellently given their different circumstances (no pass rush vs. heavy pass rush), and there's no denying that Favre would have had significantly more trouble had he been running away from the calf-roping Jared Allen on every play.

A lot can change between now and Nov. 1, when the Vikings visit Lambeau for the rematch.  It will be interesting to see how the Packers recover from the defeat after this week's bye. 

Will the defense attack? 

Will the line protect?

Only time will tell.

At least Donald Driver is still having a great season.