GREEN BAY, Wis., Oct. 20 (UPI) -- After Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre went down with a sprained knee, Doug Pederson directed three scoring drives Sunday as the Packers stormed past the Washington Redskins.
The seemingly indestructible Favre made his 164th straight start, the longest streak of any active player. He completed 11 of 14 passes for 89 yards, directing the Packers (6-1) to a 17-6 halftime lead.
Early in the third quarter, Favre tried to scramble out of the pocket but was hogtied behind the line by Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington. Favre's left foot planted in the turf and his leg twisted as Arrington pulled him down.
"The coaches called the right blitz and I was so happy to get the sack that I did not think I hurt him," Arrington said.
"I was trying to get my foot out from underneath me," Favre said. "I have never had that happen to me before."
Favre quickly hopped up but was noticeably limping. He was removed from the field by a cart, taken for x-rays that revealed a torn lateral collateral ligament and did not return. It was just the fourth time during Favre's remarkable streak that he did not finish a game due to injury.
"I don't feel too bad, all things considered," said Favre, who will undergo an MRI on Monday. "From what I understand, it is an injury I could play with. It is a wait-and-see thing and we'll see how it heals."
The severity of the injury puts the streak, and Green Bay's Super Bowl hopes, in jeopardy. However, the Packers have a bye next week and Favre is a notoriously fast healer.
"It is not painful now, but when I did it, it hurt," Favre said after the game. "Now it is real stiff. The concern is whether you lose stability in the knee.
"I've played for so long and avoided serious injury for so long that whether you can play the following week is upsetting. It is expected that I will be in there. I know it happens, but it is still tough to digest."
Pederson, meanwhile, more than held his own. Mixing the passing game with the strong running of Ahman Green, Pederson completed nine of 15 passes for 78 yards, leading the Packers to a touchdown and two field goals.
"I fully expected Brett to leave the game," Pederson said. "It looked pretty bad from the sidelines. The coaches told me to get my helmet right away. You are in the game anyway as a backup quarterback charting plays. You are always one play away from playing."
"Doug did a great job," Favre said. "To come into that situation and do well was great."
Green carried 24 times for 88 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. He had touchdown runs of 24 and two yards in the first half and an eight-yarder that pretty much sealed matters at 27-9 with 7:48 to go.
Washington Coach Steve Spurrier's "Fun 'n' Gun" offense never got going. Rookie Patrick Ramsey was unable to stretch the field with his passing, and the Redskins (2-4) settled for three field goals while losing four fumbles.
"With Favre out, we had some chances, but with the fumbling, things didn't work out," Spurrier said. "We tried to mix things up, but we always broke down. Patrick struggled. His protection was not super, but at other times the protection was pretty good."
Green's first touchdown run came with 4:21 left in the first quarter after Redskins defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson was whistled for a 15-yard facemask penalty. The score came between field goals of 25 and 53 yards by Washington's James Tuthill, both following drives helped along by penalties.
The first drive featured an illegal contact penalty by rookie safety Marques Anderson on third and 18 that gave Washington an automatic first down. The second had a 15-yard roughing penalty on Anderson, an illegal contact flag on cornerback Tod McBride and an offsides on defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila.
The Packers immediately responded. They were helped by two penalties on the same play by Bailey, who was whistled for interference and a facemask to put the ball at the three. Green banged in two plays later for a 14-6 lead 5:07 to go in the first half.
An interference call against cornerback Darrell Green set up Ryan Longwell's 36-yard field goal with 1:23 left, making it 17-6.
After Favre's injury, Tuthill kicked a 31-yard field goal. But the Redskins got sloppy in the fourth quarter.
A fumble by Kevin Lockett gave the Packers possession at the Redskins' 39. Pederson threw a 20-yard pass to rookie Javon Walker before Longwell booted a 41-yard field goal with 9:21 left.
"Doug came in and made a great throw, and that kind of pumped us up for the rest of the game," Walker said.
"A backup has to come in and be efficient and move the ball and give the team confidence," Pederson said.
Ramsey, who completed just 10 of 24 passes for 135 yards, fumbled on Washington's next possession. After Pederson's 16-yard pass to Donald Driver, Green rumbled in.
"I have to play better, there's no getting over that," Ramsey said. "I didn't make things happen when the guys were open. I'm learning, whether on the sidelines or in the game."
Longwell added a 28-yard kick in the final minute. Stephen Davis had 24 carries for 91 yards for Washington.
