Brett Favre: Should He Play This Week Against Arizona Cardinals?

Brett Favre has taken a beating this year. From a fractured ankle to a lacerated jaw to elbow tendinitis, nothing has come easy for No. 4 this year.

Yet, he continues to play. After Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots, Favre's Iron Man streak for consecutive starts now stands at 292.

With nine games left in the Minnesota Vikings' 2010 season, Favre's streak could extend all the way to 301 games.

The question that needs to be asked is should it?

The Vikings are 2-5 so far this year despite having Adrian Peterson, one of the top two running backs in the NFL.

The problem has been the passing game. Favre threw for 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions in a magical 2009 season. This year has been the Bizarro version of last year, as Favre has already thrown 11 interceptions to go with only seven touchdowns.

The Vikings traded for Randy Moss to try to add a spark to the offense, but little did they know the receivers weren't the problem.

So, with the Vikings playing the Arizona Cardinals this week, head coach Brad Childress once again faces a very tough decision: should he play Favre or bench him?

If the Vikings want to have any chance of making the playoffs this year, they need to bench Favre, who needs to break his consecutive starts streak so he can start doing what's best for his team.

Childress shouldn't bench Favre for the rest of the season, but if anyone has ever needed a couple weeks off, it's Favre.

Right now, Tarvaris Jackson is the best option for the Vikings at quarterback. He's healthy, mobile and doesn't have elbow tendinitis or a fractured ankle.

Down the stretch, if the Vikings can climb back into the playoff race, it makes sense to go back to Favre, who has the experience and talent necessary to carry a team through important games, but not in the condition he's in now.

The best thing Childress could do for his team is bench Brett Favre until Week 13, when the Vikings play the Buffalo Bills.

That game falls on December 5, meaning Favre would have over a month to rest and get healthy. Then, he'd get to play a horrible Bills team to get back into a groove.

Then, the stretch run begins for the Vikings, with their last four games coming against the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions.

If the Vikings can win three of their next four games (vs. Cardinals, at Bears, vs. Packers, at Redskins) without Favre playing, they'd be in great shape for Favre to lead them to the playoffs, since a 9-7 record will probably be good enough for a Wild Card spot in the NFC.