Brett Favre threw three touchdown passes in a game for the first time in his NFL career as the Green Bay Packers crushed the Detroit Lions 38-10 at Milwaukee County Stadium. The game was played in a snowstorm that covered the yard markers and caused wide receiver Sterling Sharpe to misjudge where the end zone was and spike the ball at the five-yard line. Luckily, Sharpe recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Here is a look back at Brett Favre’s first three touchdown game, as the Packers beat the Lions.
Brett Favre Leads the Packers Past the Lions in His First Career Three Touchdown Game: The Buildup
The 1992 Packers were a team in transition. It was the team’s first season under GM Ron Wolf and head coach Mike Holmgren. It was also the first season Favre started at quarterback. He took over for the injured Don Majkowski in Week 3. Favre would start every game for the Packers through the end of the 2007 season.
After a 2-5 start, the team started to find its form and put together some victories. They entered this rematch with Detroit with a three-game winning streak and a 6-6 record and were back in the playoff hunt. The Lions were just 3-9 and struggling through another tough season.
Green Bay needed to find a way to win to keep in the hunt for either the NFC Central title or a wild card berth. They would have to do it on a field covered with snow.
The Packers Break Out Strong
The Packers wasted little time in taking control of this game. They scored twice in the first quarter. Running back Darrell Thompson ran for a one-yard touchdown to put the Packers up 7-0. Thompson finished the game with 84 yards rushing on 18 carries.
Then came Sharpe’s memorable touchdown catch. Favre found Sharpe on a long pass, but the receiver misjudged where the end zone was because of the snow covering the field. He was fortunate enough to recover the fumble. Detroit’s Melvin Jenkins knocked the ball out of his hands, but Sharpe recovered it.
“I scored twice on one play. I knew it was the goal line. Then Sharpe added. “I was in, I thought,”
“I think he was showboating a little bit,” Favre added jokingly.
That made it 14-0 Packers after the first quarter.
Brett Favre Leads the Packers Past the Lions in His First Career Three Touchdown Game: The Packers Add to their Lead
After the Lions went three-and-out on their next drive, Favre found fullback Harry Sydney for a nine-yard touchdown pass to increase the Packers lead to 21-0.
The defense scored the next touchdown. Backup Andre Ware replaced an injured Rodney Peete. Defensive end Matt Brock hit Ware and linebacker Tony Bennett recovered and ran the ball back 18-yards for a score. The Pack was ahead 28-0.
After Ware hit Herman Moore for a touchdown, the Packers answered with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Favre to Sharpe. Green Bay led 35-10 at the half after a field goal by Detroit’s Jason Hanson.
Sharpe finished the game with six catches for 107 yards and two scores. It was his sixth 100-yard game of the season, tying him for the Packers single-season record with Don Hutson, Billy Howton, and James Lofton.
The Second Half
There wasn’t much scoring in the second half. The teams traded field goals with Hanson connecting from 44 yards and Green Bay’s Chris Jacke connecting from 46. That made the final score 38-10.
The Green Bay defense shined in this game. They sacked Detroit quarterbacks four times and forced eight fumbles. They recovered four of them. Terrell Buckley also intercepted Ware once so the Pack forced five turnovers in the game.
The team’s winning streak was now at four games which incidentally matched their entire win total from the previous season.
Brett Favre Leads the Packers Past the Lions in His First Career Three Touchdown Game: The Aftermath
It was clear after the game that this young Packers team was gaining confidence with each passing game. “Now, we’re doing a better job of solidifying the outcome of games earlier,” linebacker Brian Noble said. “We have confidence going into games knowing we can win if we play the way we’re capable of playing. Things work. We don’t rely on outside circumstances.”
“Each week, there are some things we do better than the previous week,” Favre added.
“If someone had told me we’d be in this position, I’d have been very happy,” Holmgren said.
The Packers won two more games to extend their win streak and to go 9-6 on the season. They would have made the playoffs if they won the season finale in Minnesota, but they lost to the Vikings 27-7. Still, they finished the season with five more wins than they had in 1991, and the future looked bright.
In the upcoming offseason, Wolf signed Reggie White, the biggest prize in the NFL’s first ever free agent class. The Packers made the playoffs for the first time in a non-strike season since 1972 and won the Super Bowl after the 1996 season.