Minnesota Vikings: Brett Favre Should Rest His Ankle

Brett Favre and Brad Childress are certainly not on the same page. After another shaky performance by Favre, Childress pulled no punches in the post game press conference.

"You can't throw it to them, you've got to play within the confines of our system," said Childress. "Sometimes it's OK to punt the football. You can't give seven points going the other way, not in a game like this."

While that may be clear, it was unnecessary, out of character, and classless for the head coach to throw his quarterback under the bus.

Especially a quarterback that was worth recruiting in August by sending a contingent of team leaders down to the Bayou. 

Though the Childress-Favre marriage may be on thinner ice than Favre's actual marriage, the season can still be repaired and saved, and there is only one way to do it.

Favre needs to sit down.

They can't win with the Old Gunslinger playing with a fractured ankle, that much is clear. At 41 years old, he is no longer able to make the plays he is used to making without being at full health. A younger Favre could play through anything, but the realities of age are now more apparent than ever. 

He's overthrowing guys he normally hits in stride and missing badly, resulting in interceptions that bring the team down. He's always going to have the mindset that tells him he can make every throw, but physically, he cannot make them anymore. 

25-year-old Favre isn't walking through that door, and if the Vikings want to win with Favre, they need him to rest. 

At 2-5, the Vikings clearly need to start winning.  They can make the playoffs in the NFC at 9-7 or even 8-8; it's not like they need to win out to have a shot. Favre needs to be healthy for the playoffs, so turning to Tavaris Jackson for a few weeks while Favre heals is what is best for the team. 

That being said, it can't be expected that Childress will sit Favre down. This streak has grown beyond even Cal Ripkin-proportions, making it impossible for it to be ended by anyone other than Favre.

Favre needs to go to Childress, swallow his enormous and rightfully earned pride, and ask out of the lineup for the next few weeks.

Their next four games are at New England, vs. Arizona, at Chicago, and vs. Green Bay. It's reasonable to believe that the Vikings can go 2-2 through that portion of the schedule without Favre.

That would leave them at 4-7; it's not a great record, but winning out or going 4-1 would give them a shot at the playoffs. It's too late for them to grab a number one or two seed in the NFC, but they can still make the playoffs. 

Once you get Favre in the playoffs, anything is possible. We saw last year that, when healthy, he can put up amazing numbers, even at his advancing age. 

Should Favre decide to sit out for a few weeks, it will no doubt garner a ton of respect from Childress and his other teammates; it will be abundantly clear that Favre is putting the team ahead of his personal accomplishments. 

If Favre does sit out for a few weeks, his relationship with Childress and the Vikings' season can be saved. If he continues to try to play with these debilitating injuries because of his ego, the Vikings will miss the playoffs and regret ever bringing Brett back. 

Mike Osterberg is a student at Penn State University and a writing intern at BleacherReport.com. Follow him on twitter @Mike_Osterberg.