Brett Favre inactive; consecutive starts streak ends at 297
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Brett Favre will not play for the Minnesota Vikings in the Monday night football game against the New York Giants, bringing to an end his NFL-record consecutive starts streak at 297.
In dramatic fashion, Vikings spokesman Jeff Anderson announced through Twitter: ‘Vikings Inactives — 12, 19, 25, 31, 76, 90, 91 ... and 4. The streak ends...’
And so, the future Hall of Fame quarterback, who has an injured right shoulder, will not take a snap for the first time since 1992. Favre has played through a variety of injuries in his career and this year continued to play despite a broken foot and elbow tendinitis. Many suspected that Favre was catching a break when the Vikings-Giants game was postponed from Sunday and moved to Ford Field in Detroit after the Metrodome roof collapsed under the weight of snow.
The quarterback was injured when the Bills’ Arthur Moats hit him in the back and sent him to the turf after he scrambled and attempted to throw on the run. The following day, the rookie linebacker said he had mixed emotions about being the player who might have ended Favre’s streak.
‘I don’t want to see anybody hurting and not playing any more. If he plays, that would be a good thing,’ Moats said. ‘But if he doesn’t, and I was the guy to end the streak, all right. That’s a little notable, yeah.’
Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald tweeted: ‘Even after the reports about Brett Favre being inactive I STILL won’t believe that he’s not playing until I see it w/ my own eyes!’
Tarvaris Jackson will start for Minnesota, which before Favre’s injury had slim hopes of making the playoff with a 5-7 record.
Favre has been injured throughout his 20th season of play. He has two fractures in his left foot and elbow tendinitis as well as 10 stitches in his chin to go along with aches in his neck, back and calf before he was hit by Moats.
Favre has thrown a league-high 18 interceptions and his 69.6 passer rating is 29th in the league.
--Dan Loumena
Associated Press contributed to this report.
