Favre's Dad Game

Favre's Dad Game

Green Bay Packers (8–6) Oakland Raiders (4–10) 41 7 Head coach: Mike Sherman Head coach: Bill Callahan
1 2 3 4 Total GB 14 17 3 7 41 OAK 7 0 0 0 7
Date	December 22, 2003
Stadium	Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California, U.S.
Referee	Tony Corrente
Attendance	62,298
TV in the United States
Network	ABC
Announcers	Al Michaels, John Madden & Lisa Guerrero

Favre's Dad Game was a National Football League (NFL) regular season game played on December 22, 2003, between the Oakland Raiders (now known as the Las Vegas Raiders) and Green Bay Packers. The game, which was broadcast on television nationally on Monday Night Football (MNF), was contested at Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland, California, during the 2003 NFL season. Brett Favre, the Packers quarterback and a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, had started 204 consecutive games leading up to the game against the Raiders, a record for NFL quarterbacks. The day before the game, Favre's father, Irvin, died while driving after suffering a heart attack. In the build-up to the game, there was much discussion regarding whether Favre would play, with Favre ultimately deciding to suit up and continue his consecutive start streak. The game, which had playoff implications for the Packers, ended up being one of Favre's best statistical performances of his career, as he threw for 399 yards and 4 touchdowns en route to a 41–7 blow-out. Post-game analysis focused on Favre's resolve to play even after his father's death, his successful completion of numerous high-difficulty passes and the Packers path to the playoffs. The Packers ended up making the playoffs, beating the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round before losing in the Divisional round to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 4th and 26 game. In 2019, the NFL identified this game as the 52nd best in NFL history.

Both the Packers and Raiders entered the 2003 NFL season after going to the playoffs the previous year, with the Raiders losing Super Bowl XXXVII to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.^[1][2] After starting the season 2–2, the Raiders lost 8 of their next 9 games before beating the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15 to give them a record of 4–10.^[3] Through 10 games, the Packers were 5–5; they won 3 of their next 4 games to put them at 8–6 and in position to secure a playoff berth.^[4] The Packers were set to travel to Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland for a Monday Night Football game against the Raiders in Week 15, the second to last game of the year for each team.^[5][3][4]

Sunday night, the day before the game, Brett Favre's father, Irvin, died while driving in Mississippi.^[6] Favre, the Packers star quarterback at the time, had started 204 straight games, an NFL record for quarterbacks at the time.^[6] Irvin was instrumental to Brett's growth as a football player early in his career, including coaching him in high school.^[7] There was much discussion that evening and the next day on whether Brett would play in the game, which would not only continue his streak of consecutive starts, but was also necessary for the Packers to maintain their chances of making the playoffs.^[8] After being informed of Irvin's death, the Packers indicated that they would leave it to Favre on whether he would play.^[9] Later that day, Favre and the Packers announced that he would play in the game, with Favre stating his belief that his father would have wanted him to play.^[10] It was later determined that Irvin died of a heart attack while driving, causing him to swerve off of the road.^[7]

The Raiders started the game with the ball and after a quick first down, punted the ball. The Packers then drove 80 yards in 6 plays, punctuated by a 47-yard reception by Robert Ferguson, that ended in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre to Wesley Walls. The Raiders punted again on their next drive. After a 10-yard penalty and two short plays, Favre completed consecutive passes to Tony Fisher and Javon Walker for 32 and 23 yards respectively, with the last pass going for a touchdown. The Raiders took over down 14–0 near the end of the first quarter, beginning their only scoring drive of the game. Over a 6-play, 61-yard drive the Raiders rushed the ball 5 times, culminating in a 25-yard touchdown by Charlie Garner. On the next drive, the Packers drove down to the 13-yard line in 10 plays, with Favre connecting on passes for 12 yards, 11 yards and 32 yards. The Packers settled for a Ryan Longwell field goal to go up 17–7 at the beginning of the second quarter. After a three-and-out by the Raiders, the Packers started their next drive on the 11-yard line and quickly scored on a 5-play, 89-yard drive that ended with a 43-yard touchdown reception by Walker. Both teams exchanged punts and then the Raiders were stopped on fourth down, turning the ball over on downs. The Packers drove 62 yards in 5 plays, with 46 of those yards coming from a 46-yard catch by Walker. Favre threw his fourth touchdown pass of the first half to David Martin to put the Packers up 31–7. The next Raiders' drive again ended in a turnover on downs, with the Packers running one play before the end of the half.^[11]

The Packers started the second half with the ball. They put together a short drive that ended in a 27-yard field goal to put the Packers up 34–7. The Raiders drove down the field but quarterback Rick Mirer was intercepted in the end zone by Michael Hawthorne, giving the Packers the ball at the 20-yard line. The Packers moved the ball 50 yards over 10 plays, but ended up punting the ball back to the Raiders. Both teams exchanged punts after short drives, and then the Raiders again turned the ball over on downs after moving the ball 53 yards on 9 plays. The Packers finished off the scoring with a 9-play, 77-yard drive that ended in a 7-yard touchdown run by Ahman Green. Donald Driver caught a 41-yard pass earlier in the drive, which left the Packers up 41–7. Quarterback Rob Johnson, who replaced Mirer, was intercepted on the next Raiders drive, while the Packers subsequently turned the ball over on downs. The Raiders last drive ended in a fumble by Tee Martin that was recovered by the Packers, which allowed them to run out the remainder of the clock.^[11]

The Packers blow-out victory kept their playoff hopes alive.^[12][13] Post-game analysis though focused on Favre's fortitude to play, his spectacular performance and the emotional response from fans, teammates and his family during and after the game.^[14][15] At the end of the first half, Favre had thrown for 311 yards and 4 touchdown passes, giving him a perfect 158.3 passer rating.^[16] With the game well in hand, the Packers pulled Favre, although he still finished the game with 399 yards (the second most of his career at the time).^[17] The Packers' wide receivers were also praised for their performance, with multiple catches being a high level of difficulty.^[18] Sources noted that it appeared multiple times that Favre would just heave a ball deep down the field and the Packers wide receivers would make the challenging catch.^[18][12][13] Fans, including Raiders' fans, his teammates and family all showed Favre support before, during and after the game.^[10][9] In its post-game recap, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called the Favre's performance "one of the greatest games of his fabulous career".^[16]

Brett Favre (left) and Javon Walker (right) combined for four catches, 124 yards and 2 touchdowns during the game.

After beating the Raiders, the Packers entered the last week of the season needing to beat the Denver Broncos and have the Vikings lose to the 3–12 Arizona Cardinals in order to win the NFC North and make the playoffs.^[19][4] The Packers beat the Broncos 31–3 giving them a record of 10–6, while the Vikings took a 17–6 lead into the fourth quarter.^[4][20] However, Cardinals' quarterback Josh McCown threw a touchdown pass to Nate Poole with no time left on the clock to give the Cardinals a win, giving the Packers the NFC North and a playoff berth while ending the Vikings season.^[21] The Raiders lost their last game of the year to the San Diego Chargers to give them a final record of 4–12.^[22]

The Packers hosted the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round the next week. With the score tied at the end of regulation, the game went into overtime. After winning the coin flip for possession in the overtime period, Seahawks' quarterback Matt Hasselbeck proclaimed "we want the ball and we're going to score!" After a possession by each team, Hasselbeck threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Packers' cornerback Al Harris giving the Packers a 33–27 victory.^[23] The next week, the Packers traveled to Philadelphia to play the Eagles in the Divisional round of the playoffs. The Packers had a 17–14 lead with just over a minute left in the game and the Eagles facing a fourth down with 26 yards to go. Eagles' quarterback Donovan McNabb completed a 28-yard pass for the first down and ultimately led the team down the field for a game-tying field goal. In overtime, the Eagles kicked a game-winning field goal to win 20–17 in what became known as the 4th and 26 game.^[24]

In honor of the league's 100th anniversary, the NFL announced a list of the 100 greatest games, with Favre's performance against the Raiders ranking as the 52nd greatest.^[25] Favre was praised for his resilience in the face of adversity, with the game going down as one of the his greatest performances of his hall of fame career.^[26][17] His "ironman" persona grew stronger, as he continued his streak of consecutive starts. Favre started the game completing nine consecutive passes, with multiple catches by his receivers being contested catches with low probability for completion.^[8][18] The Raiders' crowd, usually well known for its ferocity towards opponents, showed its support for Favre.^[10] His teammates embraced him throughout the game and Favre's wife came down on the field during the game to support him.^[12][13][17] In reflecting on the game, Favre expressed his desire to go out and play a great game, while also stating "I knew that my dad would have wanted me to play. I love him so much, and I love this game".^[25]

• List of nicknamed NFL games and plays

• "Favre's Dad Game" (Packers vs. Raiders 2003, Week 16) on YouTube