In the great shootout with Kurt Warner, Brett Favre made Sunday’s divisional playoff between his Green Bay Packers and the St. Louis Rams memorable in ways he didn’t expect.
Favre threw five touchdown passes and Warner threw two, but three of Favre’s went to the Rams, who really didn’t need that kind of help in their 45-17 victory.
Favre ended up with six interceptions, two more than he had ever thrown in a game, putting him in the select all-time NFL playoff company of Hall of Fame passers Bobby Layne and Norm Van Brocklin.
Detroit’s Layne threw his half-dozen in 1954, and the Los Angeles’ Rams’ Van Brocklin threw his in 1955–both in disappointing matchups against Hall of Famer Otto Graham and the Cleveland Browns. Frank Filchock of the New York Giants also threw six against the Bears in the 1946 title game.
The Rams’ three interception returns for touchdowns tied the postseason record held by the Bears in their 73-0 rout of the Washington Redskins for the 1940 championship. The Bears intercepted a record eight passes that day.
Favre’s six interceptions tied him with the not-so-immortal Tom O’Malley for the Packers’ record set in the 1950 opener.
Rams cornerback Aeneas Williams–the addition coach Mike Martz said would rejuvenate his defense the way Marshall Faulk’s arrival rejuvenated the offense in 1999–ran back two interceptions for touchdowns, setting his own NFL playoff record. He had a potential third return on a fumble recovery overturned by replay. Linebacker Tommy Polley had the other interception return for a touchdown.
Asked what advice Favre might give former Packers assistant coach Andy Reid now that Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles will play the Rams here next Sunday for the NFC title, Favre said, “I don’t know if I’m the one to be asking advice from.”
Favre’s last four interceptions were tipped, two by intended receiver Ahman Green, who had to stretch to get his hand on them. Favre said as the two players were brushing their teeth after the game, Green told him, “I should have caught a couple of those.”
“` Don’t worry,'” Favre said he told Green. “`If you play long enough, you’ll see everything.’A lot of great things have been said about me and a lot of bad things. This one hurts as bad as all the others I’ve had. But I will be back.”
The first two interceptions weren’t tipped, and that’s all the Rams needed to take a 21-7 lead. Williams happily took a gift on the second series when Favre switched a run play to a quick hitch that receiver Bill Schroeder didn’t see in the same way.
“Every turnover is my fault,” Packers coach Mike Sherman said. “Too many of them to point at one player.”
The Packers lost two fumbles plus the six interceptions. Warner threw one interception.
“You have eight or nine turnovers and it’s hard to beat anybody,” Packers receiver Antonio Freeman said. “It is hard enough to beat a Pop Warner football team, let alone the St. Louis Rams.”
Favre called Warner “Pop” when Warner was in the Packers’ 1994 training camp. Eight seasons later, Warner turned into the mentor, although his 18-for-30 day for 216 yards was his fourth-lowest output of the season.
The Rams’ 292 offensive yards was their lowest total of the season, but the Packers’ defense couldn’t overcome both quarterbacks, Warner and Favre.
“Our defense was awesome,” Warner said. “They scored more points than the Packers.”
The Rams’ first five possessions netted 9, minus-9, 66, 4 and 0 yards–with a 38-yard run by Marshall Faulk their only big play–yet they had a 21-7 lead. Safety Kim Herring returned Favre’s second interception to the 4-yard line.
“In all my years of coaching I don’t know if I have ever seen a defensive performance like that,” Martz said. “The defense felt like they had been called out by the national media and humiliated by some of the comments . . . that this would be some sort of a scoring race and they couldn’t stop anybody. I think somebody said it was going to be 45-40. It doesn’t look like that.”
The Rams’ defense finished No. 1 in the NFC in yardage allowed, but finished second to the Rams’ offense in publicity.
Warner recalled throwing three interceptions in last year’s wild-card loss to New Orleans that ended the Rams’ championship reign.
“I know kind of what [Favre’s] feeling,” Warner said.
Asked if it was his worst day ever, Favre said: “I don’t know about that. It’s sure in the top three, and I haven’t had time to reflect and think about the other two.”
