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In a September 2007 regular season game vs. the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Greg Jennings in the first quarter; with that touchdown pass, Favre broke Dan Marino’s then-record of 420 career passing touchdowns to sit atop the NFL record books. Though they have both since been surpassed by Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning, Favre and Marino remain near the top of most career passing records, including yardage and touchdowns. As two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, with numerous passing records and MVP awards between them, let us pose the question:
Who was better – Brett Favre or Dan Marino?
The Beginning
While Favre and Marino would both quickly become elite NFL quarterbacks, their journeys to stardom were quite different – Favre entered the league with modest expectations, whereas Marino was part of the most famous quarterback draft class in NFL history.
A native of Mississippi, Favre played both baseball and football in high school; due to its strong group of running backs, his high school football team ran the run-oriented wishbone offense, which afforded Favre with few opportunities to pass the pigskin. As a result, his only college football scholarship offer came from Southern Mississippi, which originally recruited him as a defensive back. Starting off his freshman campaign as the seventh-string quarterback, Favre quickly took over the starting reins and became a four-year starter who set a number of school passing records (most of which have since been broken). Upon graduation, Favre was selected 33rd overall in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, though he only spent one season there and played in two games with four pass attempts, no completion, and two interceptions. In the offseason, the Falcons traded Favre to the Green Bay Packers for the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 1992 NFL Draft, which was used to select running back Tony Smith. Originally a backup in Green Bay to Don Majkowski, Favre relieved the incumbent quarterback in the second half of the second game of the season and then, after Majkowski went down with injury in the third game, Favre would take over and never relinquish the starting role, beginning an iron man streak of 297 consecutive regular season starts that would span 19 seasons. In his first full season as a starter, Favre completed 64.1% of his passes for 3,227 yards and 18 touchdowns vs. 13 interceptions (85.3 QB rating) while guiding the Packers to an 8-5 record and earning the first of 11 Pro Bowl selections.
On the other hand, Marino grew up in Pittsburgh and starred in both football and baseball in high school; in addition to being a PARADE All-American in football, he was also drafted in the fourth round of the 1979 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. Ultimately, he chose football and stayed local at the University of Pittsburgh, where he started as a freshman. During his time at Pittsburgh, Marino was 33-3 in his first three years and had the team consistently ranked in the top five, including a #2 ranking in 1980 and a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia in 1981. However, his performance dipped as a senior, finishing ninth for the Heisman Trophy after a fourth-place finish his junior season. Subsequently, Marino was drafted 27th overall in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins; in the so-called “Year of the Quarterback”, he was the sixth quarterback drafted that year after John Elway (first), Todd Blackledge (seventh), Jim Kelly (14th), Tony Eason (15th), and Ken O’Brien (24th). Interestingly, he was also the first overall draft pick in the history of the short-lived United States Football League (USFL) by the Los Angeles Express, but chose to sign with the Dolphins – as a rookie, Marino got his first start in the sixth game of the season and completed 58.4% of his passes for 2,210 yards with 20 touchdowns vs. 6 interceptions (good for a rookie-record 96.0 QB rating) and a 7-2 record, earning the first of nine career Pro Bowl selections.
Career Comparison
Over the course of nearly two decades each in the NFL, Favre and Marino would set numerous season and career passing records while racking up Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and MVP awards during their primes.
After again making the Pro Bowl in 1993 (though with a league-leading 24 interceptions) and then throwing for 3,800+ yards and 33 touchdowns in 1994, Favre proceeded to have the best three-year stretch of his career from 1995 to 1997, not only earning Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro selections each season, but also becoming the only player in NFL history to win league MVP in three consecutive years:
- 1995: completed 63.0% of passes for a league-high and career-best 4,413 yards, a league-leading 38 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions (99.5 QB rating) with an 11-5 record; also named AP Offensive Player of the Year and won the Bert Bell Award
- 1996: completed 59.9% of passes for 3,899 yards, a league-leading and career-best 39 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions (95.8 QB rating) with a 13-3 record; also won the Bert Bell Award
- 1997: completed 59.3% of passes for 3,867 yards, a league-high 35 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions (92.6 QB rating) with a 13-3 record; shared MVP honors with Detroit Lions running back and fellow Hall of Famer Barry Sanders
In 1998, Favre once again led the NFL in passing yards with 4,212 yards on a league-best 63.0% completion rate with 31 touchdowns vs. 23 interceptions (87.8 QB rating), while guiding the Packers to an 11-5 record.
While Favre still managed to pass for close to 4,000 yards per year over the next couple of seasons, his touchdowns declined to the low 20s range and his QB rating dropped to the 70s; as a result, the Packers became a roughly .500 team during this span. Nevertheless, he bounced back with three straight Pro Bowl seasons from 2001 to 2003, and Green Bay rebounded as well:
- 2001: 3,921 yards (61.6% completion rate) with 32 touchdowns vs. 15 interceptions for a 94.1 QB rating and a 12-4 record
- 2002: 3,658 yards (61.9% completion rate) with 27 touchdowns vs. 16 interceptions for an 85.6 QB rating and a 12-4 record
- 2003: 3,361 yards (65.4% completion rate) with a league-high 32 touchdowns (his fourth and final time leading the league in the category) vs. 21 interceptions for a 90.4 QB rating and a 10-6 record; notably, a day after his father passed away, Favre threw four first half touchdown passes in a gutsy December Monday Night Football win over the Oakland Raiders
With the Packers drafting quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the first round in 2005, Favre struggled that season – despite throwing for a record 14th 3,000-yard season, he finished with a career-high and league-worst 29 interceptions. After struggling again in 2006 (18 touchdowns vs. 18 interceptions), he returned to form with another Pro Bowl season in 2007: 4,155 yards on 66.5% passing with 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions (95.7 QB rating) with a 13-3 record. Moreover, Favre set a number of career records that year, including breaking Marino’s then-records for most career touchdown passes and career passing yards, as well as Elway’s then-record for most career regular season wins.
Following the 2007 season, Favre announced his retirement after 16 seasons with the Packers, but subsequently expressed a desire to return. Having already anointed Rodgers as their new starting quarterback, Green Bay traded Favre in 2008 to the New York Jets for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft; in one mediocre season with the Jets, Favre threw 22 touchdowns vs. a league-high 22 interceptions, though was still named to the Pro Bowl. Upon announcing his intention to retire (again), he was released and signed with the Vikings, where he had a renaissance in 2009 with his final Pro Bowl season: 4,202 yards on a career-best 68.4% passing, 33 touchdown, and only 7 interceptions (the only time in his career where he had single-digit interceptions in a full season) for a career-high 107.2 QB rating and a 12-4 record. In 2010, he struggled with 11 touchdowns vs. 19 interceptions, and an injury forced him to end his consecutive regular season start streak record at 297 games; at season’s end, Favre retired for good at age 41, the holder of numerous NFL records, including passing yards, touchdowns, and also interceptions.
As for Marino, his rookie season would mark the first of five straight Pro Bowl selections; notably, from 1984 to 1986, he was a First Team All-Pro and led the league in both passing yards and touchdowns for three consecutive years:
- 1984: completed 64.2% of passes for 5,084 yards, 48 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions (league-high 108.9 QB rating) with a 14-2 record; it was a career year for Marino – he not only won MVP, AP Offensive Player of the Year, and the Bert Bell award, but also set NFL records for both passing yards (first 5,000-yard season in history, breaking Dan Fouts’ previous record of 4,802 yards; since surpassed by Brees in 2011) and passing touchdowns (broke previous record of 36 held by both Y.A. Tittle and George Blanda; since broken by Peyton in 2004)
- 1985: completed 59.3% of passes for 4,137 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions (84.1 QB rating) with a 12-4 record
- 1986: completed 60.7% of passes for 4,746 yards, 44 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions (92.5 QB rating) with an 8-8 record; became the fastest quarterback in NFL history to reach 100 career touchdown passes
During the strike-shortened 12-game 1987 season, Marino threw for 3,245 yards (59.2% completion rate), 26 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions (89.2 QB rating) while guiding Miami to a 7-5 record. When the NFL returned to a full slate, he became the first player in league history with four 4,000-yard seasons: a league-high 4,434 yards (58.4% passing) with 28 touchdowns and 23 interceptions (80.8 Qb rating), though the Dolphins were only 6-10.
Following a pair of 3,500+ yard, 20+ touchdown seasons in 1989 and 1990, Marino returned to the Pro Bowl in back-to-back seasons:
- 1991: 3,970 yards on 57.9% passing with 25 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for an 85.8 QB rating and an 8-8 record
- 1992: a league-high 4,116 yards (his fifth and final time leading the NFL in passing yards) on 59.6% passing with 24 touchdowns and 16 interceptions for an 85.1 QB rating and an 11-5 record
However, in 1993, Marino suffered a torn Achilles tendon and missed all but five regular season games. The next year, he bounced back with his last 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown season and earned both Pro Bowl and Comeback Player of the Year honors in 1994: 4,453 yards (62.6% passing) with 30 touchdowns and 17 interceptions for an 89.2 QB rating and a 10-6 record. This was followed by Marino’s final Pro Bowl season – in 14 games, he completed 64.1% of his passes for 3,668 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions, good for a 90.8 QB rating and a 9-5 record; moreover, during the 1995 season, he broke Fran Tarkenton’s career records for both passing yards and touchdowns.
Over the last four seasons of his career, Marino remained an effective starting quarterback, notably throwing for 3,870 yards in 1997 while leading the NFL in attempts and completions, though only had 16 touchdowns. His final 3,000-yard season would come in 1998 on 3,497 yards and 23 touchdowns vs. 15 interceptions (80.0 QB rating) for a 10-6 record. Having spent his entire career with the Dolphins, Marino retired after the 1999 season, at the time holding both the career passing yards and touchdown records, and being the first player in NFL history to reach 50,0000 yards, 60,000 yards, and 400 touchdowns.
Overall, Favre played 20 NFL seasons to Marino’s 17, and with his iron man consecutive games played streak, this resulted in 60 additional games. As mentioned, by breaking most of Marino’s previous passing records, Favre leads in most statistical categories, whether it be completions, attempts, completion rate, yardage, or touchdowns, though Marino has a marginally better career QB rating and threw fewer interceptions. Favre also holds the edge in career awards and accolades with more Pro Bowls (11 to 9), Bert Bell awards (2 to 1), and MVP awards (3 to 1); however, both were 3x All-Pros and won Offensive Player of the Year once, and Marino was also Comeback Player of the Year. Additionally, Favre had more 3,000-yard seasons (18x vs. 13x) and 30+ touchdown years (9x vs. 4x), with both quarterbacks accumulating six 4,000-yard seasons; interestingly, Marino comes out ahead on a per game basis – over 242 regular season games, he averaged 254 passing yards, 1.74 touchdowns vs. 1.04 interceptions, whereas Favre’s averages over 302 regular season games were 238 passing yards, 1.68 touchdowns vs. 1.11 interceptions. As to how this ultimately translated to wins and losses, Favre won 186 games with a 62.4% winning percentage vs. 147 games with a 61.3% winning percentage for Marino. As two of the greatest quarterbacks in league history, both players were first ballot Hall of Famers, Marino in 2005 and Favre in 2016.
Regular Season Statistics
| Brett Favre | Player | Dan Marino |
| 20 (1991-2010) | Seasons | 17 (1983-1999) |
| 302 | Games Played | 242 |
| 6,300 | Completions | 4,967 |
| 10,169 | Attempts | 8,358 |
| 71,838 | Passing Yards | 61,361 |
| 62.0% | Completion % | 59.4% |
| 508 | Passing Touchdowns | 420 |
| 336 | Interceptions | 252 |
| 86.0 | QB Rating | 86.4 |
| 186-112 (62.4%) | Starting QB Record | 147-93 (61.3%) |
| 11x | Pro Bowls | 9x |
| 3x | All-Pro | 3x |
| 3x | MVP | 1x |
| 1x | Super Bowls | – |
| 2x Bert Bell, 1x Offensive POY | Other Awards | 1x Bert Bell, 1x Offensive POY, Comeback Player |
| 2016 | Hall of Fame Induction | 2005 |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
In terms of the postseason, both Favre and Marino led their respective teams, the Packers and Dolphins, to double-digit playoff appearances, as well as to the Super Bowl, though only Favre was able to lead his team to a title.
During his 20-year NFL career, Favre made a dozen playoff appearances, all but one with the Packers, with his greatest postseason successes coming in the 1990s. In particular during his three-year MVP stretch, he first led Green Bay to the NFC Championship, followed by back-to-back Super Bowl appearances:
- 1996: Favre and star defensive end Reggie White led the Packers to Super Bowl XXXI vs. the New England Patriots; in a 35-21 victory, Favre completed 14 of 27 passes for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns (with no interceptions), and also rushed for a touchdown
- 1997: returning to Super Bowl XXXII vs. Elway and the Denver Broncos, the Packers lost this time by a 31-24 score; Favre was 25 of 42 passing for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns with an interception
Meanwhile, Marino guided the Dolphins to the playoffs 10x during his career, though rarely advanced more than a round or two. Similar to Favre, his greatest postseason success came early on – during his 1984 MVP season, together with star receiving duo Mark Clayton and Mark Duper, he led Miami to Super Bowl XIX vs. Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers, though San Francisco easily won 38-16; in the loss, Marino was 29 of 50 for 318 yards with a touchdown and a pair of interceptions in the only Super Bowl appearance of his career.
Playoff Statistics
| Brett Favre | Player | Dan Marino |
| 24 | Games Played | 18 |
| 481 | Completions | 385 |
| 791 | Attempts | 687 |
| 5,855 | Passing Yards | 4,510 |
| 60.8% | Completion % | 56.0% |
| 44 | Passing Touchdowns | 32 |
| 30 | Interceptions | 24 |
| 86.3 | QB Rating | 77.1 |
| 13-11 (54.2%) | Starting QB Record | 8-10 (44.4%) |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; Favre ultimately spent his last few seasons in a perpetual state of potential retirement, while Marino remained a serviceable quarterback for the Dolphins in his last few seasons. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams, of which Favre is part of for the 1990s Second Team), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Brett Favre | Player | Dan Marino |
| 1994-1998, 2001-2004, 2009 | Decade of Dominance | 1984-1992, 1994 |
| 160 | Games Played | 156 |
| 3,370 | Completions | 3,340 |
| 5,362 | Attempts | 5,603 |
| 39,503 | Passing Yards | 41,745 |
| 62.8% | Completion % | 59.6% |
| 330 | Passing Touchdowns | 300 |
| 155 | Interceptions | 176 |
| 93.6 | QB Rating | 87.6 |
| 113-47 (70.6%) | Starting QB Record | 96-60 (61.5%) |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
In looking at their ten best seasons, Favre comes out ahead – Marino threw for more yardage, but Favre leads in essentially every other individual and team category. However, it does bear reminding that Favre’s peak came roughly a decade after Marino’s, when it was not as uncommon to put up bigger passing numbers.
My Thoughts
Before the current era of professional football where throwing for 4,000 yards in a season is relatively commonplace, Brett Favre and Dan Marino were putting up some of the biggest passing numbers the NFL had ever seen; though their passing records have since been broken, their places in history are nevertheless secure. From a purely statistical perspective, Favre clearly has the advantage over Marino; however, I think a couple of things need to be taken into account when comparing these statistics: first of all, relative to their peers, the passing numbers Marino accumulated in the mid to late-1980s were unheard of at the time, whereas there were numerous quarterbacks in the 1990s and early 2000s putting up comparable numbers as Favre (e.g. Manning, Steve Young, Kurt Warner, etc.). Additionally, Favre arguably had a better supporting cast – both quarterbacks were blessed with a plethora of Pro Bowl-caliber receivers throughout their careers, but Favre also had the benefit of playing with great running backs like Dorsey Levens and Ahman Green, whereas Marino only shared the backfield with a 1,000-yard rusher once in his time with the Dolphins. In short, Marino did more with less, which I think makes his superlative numbers look even better compared to what Favre did.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Dan Marino
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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