His teammates thought he might be faking it to draw a penalty. His coach was more concerned and started calling for backup.
Brett Favre was feeling woozy after taking an elbow to the head in the third quarter. That didn't stop him from driving the Packers to yet another touchdown in a 34-0 rout of the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
"I don't want to say it was a concussion, I'm not a doctor," Favre said. "But I was a little woozy when I stood up. I was well aware of what was going on, but I was a little light on the foot."
Favre passed another milestone Sunday, joining Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for more than 60,000 career yards. But unlike the last two weeks, the Packers (8-1) didn't need a thrilling home-run heave from Favre at the end of the game to win.
Instead, the Packers' defense roughed up rookie running back Adrian Peterson and kept the Vikings out of the end zone.
One week after his record-setting 296-yard performance against San Diego, the Packers held Peterson to 45 yards on 11 carries before knocking him out of the game with a knee injury in the third quarter.
Peterson said after the game he thought it was a sprain and he will have an MRI exam Monday.
"I feel a lot better than I did when I got hit in the knee," Peterson said. "I'm feeling pretty good right now."
Green Bay was leading 27-0 late in the third quarter when Peterson caught a pass from Brooks Bollinger and was tackled low by cornerback Al Harris, injuring his knee. He did not return to the game.
"Adrian's a very, very talented athlete, and he's a very good running back," Harris said. "It's a shame that he got hurt. I wish the best for him. But, hey, we're trying to win games. That's it."
It was another tough blow for the Vikings (3-6), who hoped to carry over some momentum from Peterson's NFL-record 296-yard rushing performance in a victory over San Diego.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy said the shutout, the Packers' first since 2002, was important for the defense.
"We've talked as a team, it was time to shut somebody out," McCarthy said. "We've had some good performances where down the stretch, we probably could have played a little better."
Vikings coach Brad Childress didn't necessarily think his team came out flat, but took the blame for the loss.
"If my team wasn't ready and I didn't have them ready, then I am going to take responsibility for that," Childress said. "It's my fault."
Peterson was having a hard time even before the injury. With Bollinger unable to muster a significant passing threat, the Packers ganged up on Peterson and held him in check.
"I don't expect to go out there and rush for almost 300 yards every week," Peterson said. "You've got your best game one week and your worst game the next. Really, we've just got to stay consistent. The team you seen last week is not the team that came here to play today."
Peterson wasn't the only star to take a hard hit.
With the Packers leading 20-0 in the third quarter, Favre slid on a scramble and was elbowed in the helmet. Minnesota defensive end Kenechi Udeze was called for a personal foul.
Favre appeared shaken up and McCarthy called for backup Aaron Rodgers, only to have Favre wave him off.
"Brett seemed to be OK," McCarthy said.
{sportsad300}Favre drove the Packers deep into Vikings territory and threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Ruvell Martin on third-and-goal to put them ahead 27-0.
Favre threw another touchdown to Martin in the fourth quarter after defensive backs Darren Sharper and Cedric Griffin collided in the end zone and the ball bounced off them into Martin's hands.
Favre was 33-of-46 for 351 yards and three touchdowns before he was relieved by Rodgers.
Favre broke Marino's record for career touchdown passes against the Vikings earlier this year, and now is 1,105 yards away from breaking Marino's all-time record.
Favre also got a rare boost from the Packers' usually dormant running game. Ryan Grant had 81 yards in the first quarter, including a 30-yard touchdown run that gave the Packers an early 7-0 lead. He finished with 119 yards against a tough Vikings rush defense.
Despite their success, Favre said the Packers have plenty of room for improvement.
"Today was awesome, but I still think there's so much more left for us to do," Favre said.
The Vikings finally put together a drive early in the fourth quarter, but were turned away when Charles Woodson intercepted on the goal line.
It was an unhappy homecoming for Bollinger, a former University of Wisconsin quarterback who started in place of injured Tarvaris Jackson. Bollinger finished 16-of-26 for 176 yards.
Game Notes:
Packers RT Mark Tauscher injured his ankle. McCarthy said he could have returned to the game if he had to. ... McCarthy said Packers DT Cullen Jenkins "banged" his knee but did not elaborate.
