Brett Favre or Tarvaris Jackson: Who Gives the Patriots the Best Chance To Win?

This article from ESPN.com's AFC East blogger Tim Graham says that the New England Patriots hold a big advantage whether Brett Favre or Tarvaris Jackson plays, but also says that the Vikings actually have a 39 percent chance of winning if Favre plays as opposed to only 27 percent if Jackson plays.

Really?

Only three quarterbacks in the NFL have a worse passer rating than Brett Favre: Jimmy Clausen, Matt Moore, and Derek Anderson. Not exactly a who's-who of the greatest quarterbacks of all time...until you read Favre's name, of course.

Tarvaris Jackson isn't exactly among the ranks of the elite, either.

Jackson has thrown 21 touchdowns vs. 18 interceptions, with 3,163 yards and a 58.7 completion percentage in 33 games, 19 starts. Favre's numbers? A little higher than that, to say the least. I'll spare you the drivel.

With the status of Brett Favre's injured ankle remaining uncertain, one still has to wonder if Jackson could possibly be a better option than a gimpy, ineffective Favre.

My brain hurts just thinking about it. But think about it for a couple more minutes, if you can bear to.

Favre has turned the ball over 14 times, with 10 interceptions and four fumbles. If his ankle is really bothering him, even nearly as much as the Vikings are letting on, the pain could exacerbate any problems with his game.

What's more, if you thought the Vikings had a hard time in pass protection before, imagine how much harder it will be if Favre's ankle immobilizes him in the pocket.

Jackson may not be the greatest pocket passer in the league, but maybe that's not what the Vikings need right now. With an offensive line that's questionable at best in pass protection, maybe it's better to have a scrambler back there that can make something out of nothing when (not if) the pocket collapses.

And boy, it's a lot easier to make throws outside the pocket. Especially against the Patriots, who love to play zone defense.

Scrambling gives the receivers more time to get open, and against an inexperienced secondary, all the extra ticks on the clock make a huge difference.

The Patriots have yet to face a renowned scrambling quarterback this season, although you could make the case that Buffalo Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is effective in that regard. In that case, take Fitzpatrick's 247 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions into consideration, and remember that he plays for the Bills, hardly one of the most potent offenses in the league.

I'll just take a wild guess here and assume that the Vikings have a couple more offensive weapons than the Bills.

We all know Favre has been forcing the ball to Randy Moss, trying to get him involved early and often over the three weeks they've been together. The Patriots have been given a gift, in that Favre will really be looking for Moss this week. Each has a point to prove, with this being Moss' return against his old team, and Favre out to prove he's still got some magic left in him.

That's clearly not what the Vikings need right now. They need a quarterback who will do exactly what Brad Childress said, and "play within the confines of (their) system." Tarvaris Jackson won't win them the game, but he won't lose it for them.

In fact, with Jackson at the helm, expect a lot more hand-offs to Adrian Peterson.

Uh-oh.

My feeling is the Vikings will get right back to a ball control style of offense, and with Peterson, they could wear down the Patriots defense in a hurry. Chances are high they won't be opening up the playbook quite as much, and even higher that Jackson will be on a very short leash.

If he plays, Brett Favre will continue to force the issue with poor decisions to try and fit a ball into a window he has no business throwing into. Only difference is, he'll be doing it on a bum ankle. Who knows how much that will effect him.

It would be awful hard for Favre to play worse than he has over the first six games of the season, but with an ankle injury, that could be the case. At least now, he'll have a built-in excuse.