If you count yourself among the people who like to compare Aaron Rodgers to Brett Favre, this Sunday’s playoff game marks a critical juncture.

On Sunday, Aaron Rodgers will start his 14th playoff game under Mike McCarthy. That’s the same number of games Favre started before Mike Holmgren moved west for Seattle.

Making direct comparisons between the two is difficult, but I think it’s interesting to compare the success of these two very successful quarterbacks.

In Favre’s first thirteen playoff games, he completed 250 of 414 passes for 3,098 yards, 23 touchdowns, and ten interceptions. The Packers went 9-4 in that stretch and appeared in two Super Bowls, winning one.

Brett Favre in the playoffs under Mike Holmgren

Rodgers, meanwhile, accumulated 298 completions on 467 attempts for 3,454 yards, 27 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. The Packers were 7-6 over those thirteen games, appearing in one Super Bowl and winning it.

Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs under Mike McCarthy

Takeaways from both quarterbacks

First and foremost, screw the Dallas Cowboys, now and forever. I know the 49ers were excellent in the early 90’s, too, but it’s hard to believe that the Packers wouldn’t have won at least one more title if Dallas hadn’t been such a persistent obstacle.

Second, while Favre should get all the credit in the world for his postseason success, he also benefitted from a consistently great defense during the Holmgren years. During the five seasons represented in these 13 games, the Packers finished ninth, fifth, fourth, first, and fifth in scoring defense. During the seven seasons it’s taken Aaron Rodgers to accumulate 13 playoff starts, he’s only had a top five scoring defense once. It was in 2010, and you know how that went down.

Third, it’s profoundly frustrating that Rodgers has lost three times in overtime. Twice he never touched the ball, and on the third occasion the ball was forcibly removed in part because a linebacker was hanging on his facemask.

Finally, it bears pointing out that Favre’s 14th playoff start should have ended when Jerry Rice absolutely, positively, fumbled the football.

Let’s hope Rodgers has better luck this weekend.