GREEN BAY, Wis., Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Brett Favre, feasting in the playoff atmosphere he has missed the past two seasons, drove Green Bay to four second-half scores Sunday and rallied the Packers to a 25-15, wild card victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Favre threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, eventually putting the game away with a 93-yard march on which he completed all three of his pass attempts for 54 yards.
"This is what it's all about and there's no better playoff atmosphere," Favre said. "We always believe we're going to win when we're here."
Green Bay, with a 13-4 record, advanced to take on the Super Bowl favorite St. Louis Rams next Sunday.
After throwing for just 43 yards in the first half while his team was limited to a mere 18 offensive plays, Favre heated up in the 28-degree temperatures by completing 16 of 21 for 226 yards in the final two quarters.
His highlight-reel plays included a 51-yard bomb down the left sideline to Corey Bradford that set up a go-ahead field goal in the third quarter and a 37-yard bullet pass over the middle to Antonio Freeman in the final Packers scoring drive of the contest.
"I don't think a quarterback can have a better game than he did today," Packers coach Mike Sherman said. "He took total control of the game."
Green Bay improved to 11-0 in postseason games at Lambeau Field -- six of those victories coming with Favre at quarterback. Favre has a 31-0 home record when the temperature is 34 degrees or below and he is 9-1 lifetime against San Francisco with four of those victories coming in the playoffs.
San Francisco's Jeff Garcia was impressive in his playoff debut, completing 22 of 32 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown. But without an effective running game, it was not enough to overcome the playoff-tested Favre -- one of only three active quarterbacks with a Super Bowl victory to his credit.
"Through the air, we were dictating the tempo," Garcia said. "We couldn't control the line of scrimmage for the running game."
Ranked second in the NFL in rushing during the season, the 49ers gained just 71 yards on the ground. Garrison Hearst was held to 42 on 13 carries.
Green Bay also did a solid job containing San Francisco receiver Terrell Owens, with cornerback Mike McKenzie being the key ingredient in holding Owens to four catches for 40 yards.
"I didn't feel like I had enough opportunities today," Owens said. "It's very frustrating. If I'm the best player on the team why can't I get the ball. I was beating guys. My number just wasn't called."
McKenzie highlighted his performance by batting a long pass intended for Owens down the left sideline into the hands of teammate Tyrone Williams at the Green Bay seven with 4:53 left. The turnover preserved an 18-15 lead for the Packers and was Garcia's first interception in 148 attempts.
"He was actually behind me, but I was able to get back in the play and get a hand on the ball," McKenzie said of his interception. "But I'm not going to sit here and tell you I tried to tip it to Tyrone."
"That one play doesn't decide the outcome, but it was very important," Owens said. "I had him by three or four yards. That play doesn't decide the ballgame, but it could have put us in a position to win it."
From there, Favre directed the eight-play, 93-yard scoring drive that clinched the game. He zipped a 37-yard pass over the middle to Freeman on third and seven to keep the drive alive and connected with Donald Driver for 12 yards on third and six to the San Francisco nine.
On the next play, Ahman Green ran behind right tackle for a touchdown to increase Green Bay's lead to 25-15 with 1:55 left.
Paul Smith fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Bradford recovered for Green Bay end any thoughts of a dramatic comeback.
The 49ers also were making their first playoff appearance since 1998. Coach Steve Mariucci, who was Favre's quarterbacks coach in Green Bay from 1992-95, fell to 1-5 against his former team.
Favre delivered the game's first score on a five-yard throw to Freeman 11 minutes deep in the game, but Ryan Longwell's extra-point attempt was blocked by Dana Stubblefield, leaving the Packers with a 6-0 lead.
San Francisco totaled just 53 yards on its first four possessions, but closed the half with a 15-play, 86-yard scoring drive, which lasted nearly seven minutes.
Garcia was six of nine for 61 yards on the drive and ran for a first down on third and two to the Green Bay two. Two plays later, Hearst scored with 11 seconds left in the half and Jose Cortez, who earlier had a 34-yard field goal attempt blocked, converted the extra point to give San Francisco the lead.
It marked the first time the Packers had trailed at halftime of a home playoff game since the 1967 NFL championship against Dallas, a contest known in the history books as the "Ice Bowl."
But Favre came out firing in the second half, directing a 12-play, 72-yard drive, which resulted in a 26-yard field goal by Longwell 6:08 into the third quarter.
Favre connected twice with Bill Schroeder to start the drive and drilled two passes for 22 yards to Freeman before the drive stalled on the San Francisco eight.
After Green Bay's defense held, Favre took over on his own 19 and needed just three throws to take his team into the end zone. He hit fullback William Henderson with a 12-yard pass out of the backfield to start the drive. After Green was stuffed for a one-yard loss on a running play, Favre unloaded a 51-yard bomb down the left sideline, which Bradford caught over cornerback Jason Webster at the San Francisco 19.
With the 49ers trying to catch their breath from the long play, Favre went for the end zone and fired a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bubba Franks with 3:26 left in the third quarter.
That gave the Packers a 15-7 lead and coach Mike Sherman decided to go for a two-point conversion. Favre hit Driver on the attempt, but the receiver was unable to get into the end zone, giving the Niners the opportunity to tie the game with one possession. That would not have been the case if Sherman had opted for the extra point.
The 49ers took advantage and tied the game when Tai Streets caught a 14-yard touchdown as well as the two-point conversion pass with 12 minutes left, tying the game at 15-15.
Hearst turned a short pass into a 22-yard play and followed with a 10-yard run to the Green Bay 17 to key the game-tying drive.
The Packers responded with a 10-play, 49-yard drive, which led to the go-ahead 45-yard field goal by Longwell with 7:02 left.
