Favre-Grant duo a dandy for Super Bowl-threat Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- So the Green Bay Packers are the NFL's youngest team, with playoff inexperience everywhere. Big deal. They have experience where it matters most, and leave it to Brett Favre to remind us.

He throws for touchdowns. He wriggles out of tackles. He throws overhanded, underhanded, sidearm, you name it. But his most significant contribution to Green Bay's latest victory, a 42-20 demolition of Seattle, might have been something you didn't notice.

Brett Favre's life is much easier with the emergence of Ryan Grant. (AP)

I'm talking about his ability to settle down Ryan Grant. It was Grant who fumbled away 14 points in the first four minutes, and it was Favre -- as well as his coaches and teammates -- who pulled the frustrated running back aside to reassure him.

"Don't worry about it," Favre told him. "Just keep it moving."

So Grant didn't. And Grant did ... if you know what I mean. He forgot about two fumbles that put Green Bay behind 14-0 and started moving the chains, not stopping until he set a franchise playoff record with 201 yards rushing and three TDs.

"It's something special," said Grant.

No, what's special is the combination of Grant and Favre in the same huddle. Until the Packers plugged Grant into the lineup this season, Favre was forced to carry the offense, producing six 300-yard games in his first nine starts.

But then Grant appeared on the scene, and Favre had an unexpected ally. No longer was it necessary to throw 40 or 45 times a game for the Packers to survive. Suddenly, he could mix the pass with the run, and the result was a 13-3 finish, an NFC North championship and one of the best seasons of Favre's 17-year career.

"The more balanced you are as an offense," said Grant, "the more versatile you can be, and it keeps the defense honest."

Sounds pretty basic. But the question was: Could Favre keep it going for the playoffs? I mean, he was 2-5 in his previous seven playoff appearances, with 11 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

Yeah, well, so much for history. Favre never looked better than he did Saturday.

"I'd be lying if I said that it didn't feel great," said Favre, who tied a personal playoff best with three touchdown passes, "but the downside of having success is that there's this anticipation with us now every week ....

"My mentality is probably and understandably a lot different than most of those guys in the locker room, and it's different than my mentality was 10 years ago.