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Favre ties Marino's touchdown record as Packers top Chargers

Sep 23, 2007 - 11:34 PM GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- Brett Favre has reached another milestone.

Favre tied Dan Marino's all-time record for career touchdown passes as the surprising Green Bay Packers posted a 31-24 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.

The ageless Favre threw for three scores, giving him 420 in his career to tie Marino's mark.

Favre matched the mark in dramatic fashion, finding Greg Jennings over the middle for a 57-yard score with 2:30 remaining to give the Packers a 24-21 lead.

"The record would have meant nothing if we had lost this game," said Favre, who engineered his 38th career fourth-quarter comeback. "I am so glad we won , that I could care less about the record."

"I'm excited for him, and I'm just happy to be a little part of that legacy," Jennings said.

Marino, the legendary Hall of Famer from the Miami Dolphins who retired with the record following the 1999 season, praised Favre.

"The thing about it is that he did it in a fashion where he came from behind, which he has done many times, in pure Brett Favre fashion to tie the record, which is outstanding," Marino said on CBS. "To tie the record in that fashion, you have to feel good for him since he's such a great competitor."

Favre celebrated the record by sprinting down field with his arms in the air. He congratulated Jennings, then jumped into the arms of Donald Driver.

Earlier in the contest, Favre had a 5-yard TD pass to Donald Driver and a 5-yard connection to tight end Bubba Franks.

Driver, who is Favre's favorite receiver, would like to catch the record-breaking ball next week in Minnesota.

"Yeah, yeah, that's my goal right now," Driver said. "I want it. "Greg (Jennings) tied it, so I told Greg, `If you tie, I break.' So my goal is to break it."

The latest mark for Favre came one week after he won his 149th career win, breaking John Elway's all-time record.

Favre completed 28-of-45 passes for 369 yards without a turnover in shredding a porous San Diego secondary. It was his 49th career 300-yard game.

After Favre tied the record, linebacker Nick Barnett sealed things by intercepting Philip Rivers and breaking off a 38-yard return to the San Diego 2.

"I could overanalyze it, but I just missed," Rivers said. "(Vincent) Jackson ran a good route. The throw just sailed on me a bit."

Two plays later, Brandon Jackson scored on a 1-yard run to make it 31-21 with 59 seconds left.

Green Bay is off to its first 3-0 start since 2001. All three wins have come off playoff teams from last season.

Barnett had confidence that the Packers, who won their final four games in 2006, would have a big campaign.

"I'm not being cocky, but that's just our confidence in this locker room," he said. "We're just going to keep playing. They can keep thinking we're not for real and we'll keep doing what we do."

Rivers also threw for three touchdowns for the Chargers (1-2), who already have matched their loss total from all of last season under new coach Norv Turner.

"We have faced two particularly impressive QBs (Brady and Favre) and we are seeing similar things with regard to the passing game," Turner said. "When they spread you out they can do things to make positive plays. We must hit the QB and knock the ball out of the WRs hands. We had some big hits on them and they were very secure with the ball."

Moments before his historic toss to Jennings, Favre and the Packers ran six plays inside the Chargers 15-yard line with a chance to take the lead. But on 4th-and-goal from inside the 1, Favre's pass over the middle fell incomplete.

The Chargers picked up one first down before being forced to punt, which set the stage for Favre to tie Marino.

Favre started his trek toward history by finding Driver with a 5-yard score less than four minutes into the second quarter, giving the Packers a 10-7 lead.

Driver had little trouble finding openings in the secondary, as he finished with six catches for 126 yards. It also was a big day for Jennings, who has been slowed by hamstring injury. He had four receptions for 82 yards.

With 2:48 left in the first half, Favre connected with Franks for five yards to make it 17-7.

Rivers, who completed his first 15 passes, found rookie Craig Davis for a 9-yard score with 32 seconds left in the first half to pull the Chargers within 17-14.

On their first possession of the third quarter, Rivers engineered a 12-play, 80-yard drive. He capped it with a 21-yard TD pass to running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

Tomlinson continued to be bottled up in the running game. He finished with 62 yards on 22 carries. After leading the league in rushing last season, Tomlinson has managed 130 yards on 57 carries in his first three games.

"I don't know if there is a problem yet," Tomlinson said. "I can't put my finger on one particular thing, but obviously there are some things going on. I just isn't happening right now."