Brett Favre Vs. Aaron Rodgers: A Statistical Comparison

I would like to talk about Aaron Rodgers' incredible performance under difficult circumstances.

His numbers so far this season: 145-221 (.656), 1668 yards, 12 TDs, 4 interceptions; his passer rating based on these numbers is 98.8. The aspects of his play that do not fall under passer rating include being sacked 13 times for 79 yards while rushing 30 times for 113 yards with three TDs and two fumbles lost.

Thus, he has accounted for 1702 yards in 264 plays (6.4 average), with 15 TDs and six turnovers.

So far this season, in the same number of games, Favre is 161-235 (.685), 1611 yards, 15 TDs, 11 interceptions; his passer rating based on this is only 89.5. He also has been sacked 16 times for 126 yards, with 11 rushes for 16 yards and two fumbles lost.

This means he has accounted for 1501 yards on 262 plays (5.7 average), with 15 TDs and 13 turnovers. 

In other words, overall Rodgers has 67 more passing yards and seven fewer interceptions on 14 fewer pass attempts; Favre does have three more touchdowns. However, including what Rodgers can do with his feet, he has 201 more yards on two more plays and is averaging 0.7 yards more per play, with the same number of touchdowns and less than half the turnovers.

Through this point last season, Favre was 181-274 (.661), 2046 yards, 11 TDs, 6 interceptions (92.5 rating), with 12 sacks for 79 yards and 14 rushes for -2 yards to go with two fumbles lost. Thus, in 300 plays, he had accounted for 1965 yards (6.6 average), with 11 TDs and eight turnovers.

That means Rodgers has 36 fewer completions and 378 fewer yards but one more touchdown, with two fewer interceptions on 53 fewer attempts, but including other production, he had 263 fewer yards on 36 fewer plays (average 0.15 lower per play), but four more touchdowns and two fewer turnovers.

Finally, let’s look at how Rodgers’ numbers compare through the first 14 games of his career to Favre's. Rodgers is 180-280 (.643), 1997 yards, 13 TDs, and five interceptions (94.3 rating), with 41 rushes for 160 yards with three TDs but 22 sacks totaling 149 yards and three fumbles. Thus, in 343 plays, he has accounted for 2008 yards (5.9/play), 16 TDs, and eight turnovers.

Meanwhile, Favre was 246-387 for 2697 yards, 15 TDs, and 10 interceptions (86.2); he was sacked 26 times for 181 yards and ran 38 times for 160 yards and one TD, with three fumbles. Thus, in 451 plays, he generated 2676 yards (5.9/play—in the interest of full disclosure, this is actually almost 0.08 higher average if carried to another decimal point), with 16 TDs and 13 turnovers.

Thus, Rodgers did account for 700 fewer yards and two fewer TDs, but also five fewer interceptions in 107 fewer attempts. And when you factor in the rest of his production, he accounted for only 668 fewer yards on 108 fewer plays but managed the same number of touchdowns while committing five fewer turnovers. 

Note also that Brett did not have to follow a legend. Even the popular player he did follow (Don Majkowski) was hurt, not traded away to make room for him.

No one put the kind of expectations on him that have been put on Rodgers, and he did not have to deal with fans hating on him like they are on Rodgers. Yet Rodgers has clearly outperformed Favre through this point in his career, through this point last season, and even through this point this season. 

Whenever I write anything in support of Rodgers, or suggest we made the right move in letting Brett go, I get a plethora of haters who dump on me and accuse me of ignoring Favre’s accomplishments.

So let me make one thing clear: Brett Favre is clearly the greatest Packers quarterback of all-time. He may be the greatest quarterback in NFL history. This does not mean that Rodgers cannot be better eventually, nor that he is not better right now.

But some fans pine after Brett, ignoring all the evidence given that this may be the case. Some are even irrational enough to deify Brett and believe his stories over the organization’s and media reports, which are consistent with each other, at every turn.

I hope these people never sit on juries, ignoring all witnesses whose stories matchup if they judge and accomplished suspect. I can separate Brett the player from Brett the man.