7-on-7: Favre, Warner combine for 5 TDs, 560 yards, 78 years
On Sunday night, for the first time in his ridiculous season, Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre(notes) was picked off more than once. Not coincidentally, the Vikings were also attempting to come back from a multi-score deficit for the first time all year.
The MVP train has not been derailed or otherwise disturbed, however. Favre's fantasy line was still plenty useful (275-2-2) thanks to the 45 pass attempts. If he would have put the ball in the air that many times for the '08 Jets, he might have thrown five picks. After 12 games, Favre's TD-to-interception ratio remains obscene (26 to 5) and he's on pace for a 4,200-yard season.
And yeah, I dropped him in the Friends & Family League after Week 2.
Shudder.
Let us speak no more of No. 4.
Kurt Warner(notes), another old quarterback I've failed to own, was fantastic in his return from the concussion that sidelined him last week. He passed for 285 yards and three TDs against the Vikings; he wasn't picked and he wasn't sacked. The play of the game was Warner's 39-yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin(notes). (Highlight here via NFL.com). That would be an example of a throw that Matt Leinart(notes) never makes.
Minnesota middle linebacker EJ Henderson(notes), the Vikings' leading tackler, suffered a gruesome leg injury in the fourth quarter. He'll miss the remainder of the season following surgery on his fractured left femur. That's obviously no small loss for a defense that was already playing without Pro Bowl corner Antoine Winfield(notes) (foot). IDP owners should note that rookie Jasper Brinkley(notes) is expected to replace Henderson in base situations. [Minneapolis Star Tribune]
• Bears quarterback Jay Cutler(notes) reportedly injured his hand in his team's unimpressive win over St. Louis. While downplaying the severity of the injury, Cutler admitted "it did play a factor in him throwing a career-low 17 passes." Devin Hester(notes) suffered a calf injury against the Rams and "was still limping after the game." [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Good luck prying any meaningful information out of the Patriots regarding Tom Brady's(notes) arm, which may or may not be injured. He went to the locker room in the first quarter of New England's loss at Miami, but quickly returned. "I had to come in here and get some stuff taken care of," he said, as if he was busy getting insurance quotes. Predictably, the team revealed nothing. "Arm injury." These are not the 'droids you're looking for. Move along. [Boston Globe]
• We didn't properly respect the achievements of Chad Henne(notes) and Davone Bess(notes) in Sunday Scene, so let's offer a little Monday propaganda, via the Miami Herald:
Altogether, Bess caught 10 Henne passes for 117 yards. Henne loves throwing to Bess because, as the QB puts it, "Some of the [secondary] guys don't want to press him out there at the corner position.''
They don't like pressing Bess because if they press too close and miss, Bess is apt to be long gone.
Bess offered his own perspective on Henne. "Every time they throw us the fastball, Chad is willing to hit the home run.''
Henne established career highs in both attempts (52) and passing yardage (335) in Week 13, and he threw for two TDs. He'll face a pair of user-friendly pass defenses in Weeks 14 and 15, too (at JAC, at TEN). It's also worth noting that over the past four weeks, New England has allowed three 300-yard passing performances. [Miami Herald]
• In case you somehow missed it, Garrett Hartley(notes) handled the kicking duties for the Saints on Sunday, not John Carney(notes). Hartley made four of his five field goal attempts, including the chip-shot game-winner. His only miss was from 58 yards at the end of regulation. Go get him, fantasy owner. Hartley is kicking for the NFL's highest-scoring team and he'll be at home in the dome in Weeks 15 and 16. [Associated Press]
• Matthew Stafford(notes) aggravated the injury to his non-throwing shoulder in the loss to Cincinnati and there's a possibility that he'll take some time off in the final weeks. This from Drew Sharp: "Although Stafford insisted the shoulder pain was no worse than it was when he first hurt it during that crazy finish against Cleveland, he also conceded that he might consider shutting it down for maybe a week or two to give the shoulder required rest." That's clearly not good news for Megatron; the Lions close the season with games against the Ravens, Cardinals, Niners and Bears. [Detroit Free Press]
• Yup, it's that time again: The Rams report card has arrived. There are five Ds this week, so I'm afraid we'll need a parent's signature. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
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Photo via US Presswire
