Remembering Brett Favre’s 2009 season with Vikings during “Favre Week”

By Drew Mahowald | Jul 18, 2015

Tonight (Saturday), the Green Bay Packers are hosting a celebration at Lambeau Field to induct Brett Favre into their Hall of Fame and retire his #4.

For me, this celebration has brought back memories of Favre’s time as a Minnesota Viking, particularly the 2009 season in which he played his best season as a pro (at the age of 39…THIRTY-NINE).

Brett Favre single-handedly made the Vikings one of the best teams in the NFL while also getting the Vikings a ton of national media coverage during the season. He was the most polarizing figure in sports at the time and it was cool for the Vikings to be at the center of it all.

That 2009 season was definitely the most fun season that I’ve been alive for as a Vikings fan (I was three years old during the 1998 season). The team was competitive the entire season and was consistently intriguing week after week simply because of Brett Favre. His remarkable performances at the age of 39 (!) led the Vikings to the most success they’ve had since that 1998 season.

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Yes, it’s easy to look at the 2009 season as a tragic disappointment if you look solely at the NFC Championship game. But what’s the fun in that? Being a Vikings fan is always about disappointment, and the 2009 season was definitely not a disappointment.

There are a few moments from Favre’s time as a Viking that seem to top the rest. First of all, the Minneapolis Miracle might be the single greatest play in the history of the franchise. Down four with 12 seconds to go, Favre threw the best pass ever thrown by a 39-year-old (!) man and Greg Lewis made a remarkable catch to give the Vikings an “improbable victory”, as Vikings play-by-play guy Paul Allen called it.

My story from that game is a unique one. A day before, I underwent surgery to repair a hernia and I was ordered to rest for a few days and refrain from any strenuous activity. Well, how am I supposed to relax during a Vikings game like THAT? After I jumped up and down for joy several times, I finally realized that I was in a ton of pain. Tears ensued, and those tears were both tears of joy AND tears of pain.

I included a video of the miracle play, because I kind of have to now, right?

Besides that play, both of the Packer games that season were pretty fun, I guess. The first contest was a Week 4 battle at the Metrodome on a Monday Night, and Favre picked apart the Packers for 271 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions as the Vikings went on to win. The best part of this game was just knowing how absolutely furious each and every Packers fan was while watching the game, and they couldn’t do anything about it.

Then, Favre returned to Lambeau Field in Week 8 and played probably an even better game. Favre tossed four touchdowns and no interceptions and made virtually no mistakes whatsoever as the Vikings beat the Packers again in his old house. Packer fans sat in the stands watching helplessly as their old hero was destroying them.

However, for me, my favorite Favre moment comes from the 2009 NFC Divisional playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys. That entire game was just incredibly fun to watch, especially for a guy who dislikes the Cowboys and Jerry Jones as much as I do (I dislike the Cowboys more than the Packers). The Vikings completely wiped out the Cowboys en route to a 34-3 demolition of the Cowboys.

With two minutes left in the game, the Vikings possessed the ball and led by a score of 27-3 in Cowboys territory on FOURTH DOWN. Former head coach Brad Childress, while disrespected by many Vikings fans (and with good reason), decided to do something totally awesome. He calls for a play-action bootleg and Favre connects with tight end Visanthe Shiancoe for an 11-yard touchdown.

Keith Brooking, a linebacker for the Cowboys at the time, was not happy about it, to say the least. He called out the Vikings and showed plenty of frustration, and Childress basically told him to stop it if he doesn’t like it. Needless to say, Brett Favre brought out the best in Childress that season.

Yes, Brett Favre will always be a Green Bay Packer. I’m not even sure how long he played in Green Bay and, frankly, I’m too lazy to go look it up. What I do know is that he tortured the Vikings for years, and it was cool to have it the opposite way for one season. That 2009 season was definitely the most fun season I’ve ever experienced as a Vikings fan with so many awesome memories, and I’m going to celebrate those memories while the Packers celebrate their Favre memories.

Won’t you join me?

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