It's in Favre's hands[Thank you Eagles!!!]
Homefield advantage for the NFC playoffs wasn't decided at Giants Stadium on Saturday. But it will be now.
The Green Bay Packers can clinch homefield advantage Sunday with a victory over the New York Jets at ... where else ... Giants Stadium. At 12-3, the Packers have a half-game lead over Philadelphia, which lost a 10-7 overtime decision to the New York Giants on Saturday, and they can dig in for a January at Lambeau Field with one more victory.
You have to like their chances ... both for homefield and for the Super Bowl ... because of one important consideration: Brett Favre is their quarterback.
Yeah, I know he has a career record of 41-45 on the road, but look at the guy's history in December: He's 35-10 overall and 18-8 away from home. That's not only good; it's the most encouraging news yet that the Packers will be home for the playoffs.
And that's big. Not only has Green Bay not lost at Lambeau Field this year, but seven of the last 10 NFC teams to clinch homefield advantage — including the Packers in 1996 — have gone on to the Super Bowl.
But there is more at stake for Favre than just the number-one seed. He can make another pitch for NFL MVP with a victory over the Jets, who have something to gain themselves. If New England beats Miami in a 1:00 PM (EST) start, the Jets can clinch the AFC East with a victory. It sounds so simple until you realize what they have to overcome.
Brett Favre.
"When a quarterback is as good as he is, and as confident as he is, he feels he can put the ball anywhere on the field," Jets cornerback Donnie Abraham told the New York Times this week.
Favre does not lead the league in accuracy nor does he lead it in passer rating. Or touchdowns. Or completions. Or yards. Yet you won't find many ... if any ... who have done more with less.
He's played without his star running back, Ahman Green. He's played without starting offensive linemen, including both his tackles. He's played without any of last year's top three wide receivers. And he's won all but three games.
That's the good news. The bad is that in two of his last three road games he's struggled, throwing seven interceptions in back-to-back losses at Minnesota and Tampa Bay. Sure, that was over a month ago, but Favre's only defeats this season have been away from home.
Now he can gain MVP votes by winning the most important game of the season in one of the most difficult spots — a place where he beat the Giants, 34-25, in the season-ender a year ago.
It won't be easy. New York's Chad Pennington is 4-2 at home since taking over in the fourth game for Vinny Testaverde. The AFC's highest-rated quarterback, Pennington has been so accurate lately that over the last four games, he has seven touchdowns and one interception.
It's a big game for the Jets. It's a bigger one for Favre and the Packers. |
