Favre nearly perfect in Vikings’ 35-9 romp

Published 8:38 am Monday, November 23, 2009

With chants of “MVP! MVP!” showered upon him by an adoring Metrodome crowd, a smiling Brett Favre tipped his cap.

A match that was at first considered bizarre and unthinkable has quickly turned into one for the story books during a season that is growing more magical by the minute for the 40-year-old quarterback and his Vikings.

Favre completed a career-high 88 percent of his passes for 213 yards and four touchdowns, and Minnesota delivered its most complete performance of the season in a 35-9 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

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“The way he’s playing at 40? MVP,” running back Adrian Peterson said, after watching Favre set a Vikings record by completing 22 of 25 throws. “I’m rooting it for him, too. He’s doing an outstanding job.”

Favre surpassed Dan Marino for another NFL record in his 22nd career game with at least four touchdown passes. He has 21 touchdowns and only three interceptions while leading the Vikings a 9-1 start, right on the heels of New Orleans (10-0) for the top seed in the NFC.

And he has plenty of help. Peterson rushed for 82 yards, Sidney Rice caught two TD passes and the Vikings defense held Seattle to 212 total yards, including 4 on the ground, an all-time low for the Seahawks.

“There is no doubt that the way I am playing now is a direct result of the guys around me,” Favre said. “It’s not like all of a sudden I’ve found some fountain of youth.”

It just looks that way.

Favre threw touchdown passes to Percy Harvin, Visanthe Shiancoe and Bernard Berrian in a 21-point second quarter that got the Vikings rolling, then finished yet another record-setting day with a 7-yard pass to Rice with 4 minutes to play in the third quarter.

He watched the entire fourth quarter from the sideline while Tarvaris Jackson took over, and the Metrodome public address announcer notified the home crowd of Favre’s latest achievements, prompting the standing ovation and 63,854 MVP votes.