2007 PACKERS VS GIANTS

Once again the Packer fans felt their team was destined for the Super Bowl because the overrated one was behind center. The Packers hosted the Giants, who were the NFC’s 5th seed.  The Packers were seeded 2nd.  Favre threw an errant pass in a close game early in the 4th quarter.  Although in character, it was one of those passes that left you scratching your head in wonder. The ball was intercepted, but Favre was bailed out when a teammate forced a turnover, and as a result the Packers tied the game with a field goal.  That was their last scoring drive.

Unfortunately for Favre the Giants place kicker missed two straight field goals, and the game went into overtime.  The Packers won the coin toss and were now in control of the game, but not for long.  For just the 2nd time in NFL history a quarterback threw the game away with his first attempt in overtime. Incidentally, Brett Favre was also the first. The Giants returned the interception to the Packer 34, which led to an easy victory.

Is there any chance Favre was most responsible for this loss?

Take a look at this photo.  3 receivers were wide open, and Favre wasn’t under any pressure.  Think they were holding?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2256/2218951294_1523dffcbf_b.jpg

2006 PACKERS.  NO PLAYOFFS Why didn’t he retire?

2005 PACKERS.  NO PLAYOFFS Why didn’t he retire?

2004 PACKERS VS VIKINGS

Once again the Packer fans felt their team was destined for the Super Bowl because the overrated one was behind center. The Packers hosted the Vikings who had lost 7 of their last 10 games.  The Vikings had backed into the playoffs with an 8-8 record. Favre became only the second   Packer quarterback to lose a playoff game at home.  The first was also Brett Favre.  Favre’s second pass attempt was a perfect strike to a defensive back.  The stage was set as Favre chased his mistakes throughout the day, and he finished with 4 interceptions versus a pass defense ranked 29th of 32 teams.

Is there any chance Favre was most responsible for this loss?

Why didn’t he retire?

2003 PACKERS VS EAGLES

Once again the Packer fans felt their team was destined for the Super Bowl because the overrated one was behind center. The Packers offense over-shadowed the Eagles, as many of the starters for the Eagles were out with injuries.  Their offensive line was depleted, and as a result McNabb was sacked 8 times.  McNabb was the Eagles only real offensive threat, because Westbrook was out of the game, and their top receivers were Freddie Mitchell and Todd Pinkston.

The Packer defense had a better unit than the Eagles, and the Eagles defense allowed over 200 rushing yards, but the game came down to the quarterback position.  McNabb converted on 4th and 26 and forced overtime, and in overtime the Packer defense held the Eagles three-and-out on their first possession.  As a result the Packers started with good field position, and were now in control of the game, but not for long. On 1st and 10 Favre became the first to throw a Hail Mary pass in overtime, and he overthrew the intended receiver by a minimum 20 yards.  That’s assuming there was an intended receiver.  The Eagles picked off the pass, which led to an easy victory.

Is there any chance Favre was most responsible for this loss?

Why didn’t he retire?

 2002 PACKERS VS FALCONS

Once again the Packer fans felt their team was destined for the Super Bowl because the overrated one was behind center. Favre would be the 1st  Green bay quarterback to lose a playoff game at home.  The Packers had both the better offensive and defensive units, but the game came down to which team had the better quarterback.  Favre’s second pass was a perfect strike to a defensive back, and he finished the game with 4 turnovers.

Is there any chance Favre was most responsible for this loss? Probably not, but he certainly had a bad game, and did nothing to help them win against the NFL's 23rd ranked defense.

2001 PACKERS VS RAMS

Once again the Packer fans felt their team was destined for the Super Bowl because the overrated one was behind center. Favre would match a playoff record by throwing 6 interceptions.  In fact, the opponent's first score was a defensive touchdown off of the first one, and they returned 2 more for 3 defensive touchdowns in all.  The Packer defense was ranked 5th in the league and performed extremely well against the NFL’s best offense, but they couldn’t overcome six interceptions.  The final score was 45-17. 

Let’s do the math.  6 turnovers times 7 points is 42 points.  The 3 interceptions alone were enough a Ram's victory. 

Is there any chance Favre was most responsible for this loss?

2000 PACKERS.  NO PLAYOFFS

1999 PACKERS.  NO PLAYOFFS

1998 PACKERS VS BRONCOS

Once again the Packer fans felt their team was destined to win the Super Bowl because the overrated one was behind center.

Favre threw an interception midway through the 1st quarter, and the Broncos scored a touchdown as a result.  Then he fumbled the ball on their next possession, and the Broncos scored a field goal. Both turnovers occurred with bad field possession for the Packers, and it should be noted that the Packer defense held the Broncos to no yards gained after his second turnover.

The Packers never saw the lead again, but down by 7 with adequate time on the clock guess who had the ball in Denver territory?  Yes, Favre and the Packers.   Favre finished the game throwing three straight incomplete passes in Denver territory, and the AFC proceeded to win their first Super Bowl since 1983.

Unlike 1996 the Packers were facing an equal. In 1996 the Packer’s return game accounted for as many yards as Favre passed for on 14 completions (less than a completion per possession), and he was facing the league’s 2nd worst pass defense.  The Packer’s number 1 defense picked Bledsoe off 4 times, and White set a sack record.