Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings completed a stunning fourth quarter comeback in overtime, beating the Arizona Cardinals 27-24 after coming into the fourth quarter 24-10. Favre finished with a career-high 446 passing yards on 36 completions in 47 attempts, including a white-hot performance in the fourth quarter.
Adrian Peterson, a non-factor for much of the game, came alive in overtime to get the Vikings into field goal range for Ryan Longwell. He finished with 15 carries for 81 yards and four receptions for 63 more; he also picked up two touchdowns. Percy Harvin was Favre’s top target on offense, picking up nine receptions for 126 yards; Bernard Berrian had nine for 89.
The Cardinals picked up two touchdowns on returns, but when the Vikings began their comeback they couldn’t make a stop on defense or score a game-ending touchdown on offense. Derek Anderson, returning to the starting quarterback role, got off to a hot start but struggled to keep it up when the Vikings picked up their defensive pressure—he finished 15-for-26 with 179 yards and one touchdown.
It was Favre’s first two-touchdown, fourth quarter comeback, and one of the latest, most dramatic comebacks of his career. Now 3-6, the Vikings remain on the margins of the playoff picture.
The Arizona Cardinals, who had a chance to join the pack at 4-4 in the NFC West, fall to 3-5.