Brett Favre left the Vikings’ 28-18 loss to the Patriots in the fourth quarter on Sunday after taking a hard hit to his chin/jaw. He was examined on the sidelines and was then carted off the field in the fetal position. (That’s not a stab at Favre, I just don’t know how else to describe the position he was in.)

Tarvaris Jackson replaced Favre and immediately threw a touchdown pass to Naufahu Tahi, then converted a 2-point conversation pass to Percy Harvin to cut New England’s lead to 21-18. Minnesota’s defense then allowed the Patriots to march right up the field and score with under two minutes to play to put the game out of reach.

Despite suffering from ankle, elbow and biceps issues, as well as acne, foot fungus and bad breath, Favre managed to complete 22-of-32 passes for 259 yards before coming out with the laceration on his jaw.

What’s interesting is that his ankle/foot injury never appeared to be a big problem, yet Brad Childress gave the impression throughout the week that Favre may not play. If the decoy was intentional, it was a smart move by Childress because it forced New England to prepare for two different quarterbacks. But because this is Favre and Childress we’re talking about, I don’t think I’m alone in saying that the entire situation was freaking annoying. It basically forced the media to talk about Lord Favre’s consecutive starts streak, which again, was really, really annoying.

It’s been an honor to watch you play, Brett. Now hurry up and retire.

The loss now drops the Vikings to 2-5 and while they’re not completely out of playoff contention, no team has ever made the postseason after starting 2-6. Minnesota hosts a horrendous Arizona team next week, so I’m sure the will-they-or-won’t they, will-he-or-won’t-he torture will continue after the Vikes win next Sunday.

As if things couldn’t get any worse for the Redskins, the Washington Post is reporting that tight end Chris Cooley suffered a broken right foot in Monday night’s loss to the Eagles and will miss the remainder of the season.

Cooley broke his foot in the second quarter after he caught a pass and tried to change direction. He had not missed a game up until this point, but will now land on injured reserve for the first time in his career.

Fred Davis will start in Cooley’s place, which could be a good or bad thing for the Redskins. Davis has great hands and a solid receiver, but he’s a major liability as a blocker and that’s the last thing Washington needs right now considering the pass protection for quarterback Jason Campbell hasn’t been great as it is.

Upset Watch: Falcons (4-2) at Eagles (3-3), 1:00 PM ET
Bragging alert: I’ve called the last four upset-watches and five of the first seven this season. And if Martin Gramatica wasn’t awful, I would have nailed the Saints over the Broncos in Week 3 as well. I’m going out on a major limb this week in calling a Falcons upset over the Eagles. Not only is Philly a 9-point favorite, but the Eagles are also 9-0 under Andy Reid coming off the bye. But I’ve bought hard into the Matt Ryan hype and happen to believe Atlanta is better than what people are making them out to be. They trust Ryan to make throws in the passing game, can run the ball with Michael Turner and have beaten two quality teams in the Packers and Bears in their last two games. For them to walk away with a win on Sunday, however, the defense will need to step up. Donovan McNabb is shredding opposing defenses and will likely have Brian Westbrook, Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis back from injuries. But the Falcons have moved the ball well this year, are protecting Ryan (which will be huge this week against Jim Johnson’s blitz-happy defense) and are coming off a bye themselves. They have a lot of momentum after the win over the Bears and have been a more physical team under first-year head coach Mike Smith. A win might be out of reach, but at the very least, I’m calling for a Falcons cover.

Intriguing Matchup: Chargers at Saints, 1:00 PM ET
Both of these teams were highly regarded as playoff contenders in preseason – if not Super Bowl contenders. But both of struggled with inconsistency so far and the Saints will be without Reggie Bush for the next 3 to 4 weeks. LaDainian Tomlinson has not looked like the same MVP back he’s been in recent years, but QB Philip Rivers has more than picked up the slack. Which one of these teams can get back on track this week playing overseas in London? Chances are, the winner might be able to save its season while the loser could start to fall off the playoff radar. (Especially New Orleans, who now plays in a surprisingly tough NFC South.)

Other Notable Games:
Cardinals (4-2) at Panthers (5-2)
Had it not been for the Giants-Steelers game, this matchup might have been the best the NFL had to offer this week. Each team is starting to make some noise, but both have also looked incredibly bad at times this year (see the Cardinals effort against the Jets and the Panthers against the Buccaneers).

Buccaneers (5-2) at Cowboys (4-3), 1:00 PM ET
No Tony Romo again for Dallas – will Monte Kiffin’s defense eat Brad Johnson alive?

Colts (3-3) at Titans (6-0), 8:30 PM ET Monday
The Monday night matchup is a great one. Can Peyton Manning turn around the Colts’ misfortunes this year against the surprising undefeated Titans?

- Broncos’ CB Champ Bailey will miss 4-6 weeks after suffering a torn groin in Denver’s loss to the Patriots on Monday night. (ESPN.com)

- Tony Romo will not play in the Cowboys’ game this Sunday against Tampa Bay and could be out at least two more weeks with a broke pinkie finger. (Dallas Morning News)

- The Cleveland Browns have suspended Kellen Winslow one game for his rant Monday against GM Phil Savage and coach Romeo Crennel. Winslow questioned the team’s handling of his staph infection. (Rotoworld.com)

- Patriots’ safety Rodney Harrison’s season is over. He tore a quad muscle Monday in New England’s win over Denver and the injury likely will end his 15-year NFL career. (NFL.com)