DETROIT -- Brett Favre finally has an injury that he can't play through.
The quarterback's starting streak of 297 consecutive regular-season games and 321 games overall, including playoffs, will come to an end tonight against the New York Giants because of a sprained sternocavicular joint in his throwing (right) shoulder that he suffered on Dec. 5 against Buffalo when he was hit on the third play by Arthur Moats as he attempted to throw a pass.
Favre was declared among the inactives, meaning he is not the third quarterback and can not go into the game. Tarvaris Jackson will get his first start since 2008. Jackson played almost the entire game against Buffalo in the Vikings' 38-14 victory.
Favre, 41, who holds every significant NFL career passing record and is the league's all-time leader in touchdown passes, completions, attempts, yards and victories as a starting quarterback, has said this will be his 20th and final season.
His streak began in 1992 with the Green Bay Packers. Favre began that season as the backup to Don Majkowski but began his starting streak on Sept. 27, 1992 in a victory over Pittsburgh after Majkowski was injured. Favre played in the Packers games on Sept. 13 and Sept. 20 before starting against the Steelers.
The last time Favre did not play in a game at all was Sept. 6, 1992, when the Packers lost to the Vikings in the regular-season opener at Lambeau Field. Favre's games played streak ends at 299 games.
Favre never came out onto the field to throw in the pregame warmups, meaning he and coach Leslie Frazier likely knew well before the Vikings arrived in Detroit for this "home" game that playing through this injury wouldn't be realistic. Frazier said last week that Favre's issue wasn't reaching back to throw but rather following through on a pass.
Favre did not throw in practice on Wednesday or Thursday of last week and only softly tossed the ball on Friday. He appeared to catch a break when the Vikings-Giants game was moved from a noon start on Sunday to a night game on Monday because of issues with the Metrodome. (The roof collapsed the morning after the game originally was simply shifted to Monday.) However, clearly Favre did not have enough time for the shoulder to heal.
