by GURPREET NANDRA

National Football League

In the NFC North, quarterback Brett Favre led the Green Bay Packers to a 34-0 rout of the Minnesota Vikings. Favre is chasing the NFL record for all-time yards thrown, joining Dan Marino Sunday as the only two quarterbacks to ever surpass the 60,000 yard mark. The Packers are 8-1, sitting comfortably on the best start to a season since 2002. Critics are speculating Favre may be in line for another Super Bowl ring this year. Unseasonably warm weather drew nearly 71,000 spectators to Lambeau Field, the largest regular season crowd to ever fill the football shrine.

Observer photos by Lisa Tanger
A historic rivalry between Green Bay and Minnesota drew nearly 71,000 fans.

In the AFC South, the Indianapolis Colts couldn’t bounce back after their loss to the New England Patriots last week. The Colts lost to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday — making their record 7-2. Kicker Adam Vinatieri was unable to make a field goal with 1:30 min. left in the game, allowing the Chargers to slip past the Colts 23-21.

Favre led the Packers to a 34-0 rout Sunday.

In the NFC East, the Washington Redskins lost to the Philadelphia Eagles this week. The Redskins had the lead in the second half but then Eagles running back Brian Westbrook scored a 57-yard touchdown to pull ahead of the Redskins by one point. The Redskins are now 5-4 in the NFC East and continue to struggle in games many think they should be winning.

National Basketball Assocation

At last, the Washington Wizards won their first game against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. It’s interesting, considering the Wizards made the playoffs last year without Gilbert Arenas, who hurt his knee near the end of the season. But this year, the Wizards look as though they haven’t yet meshed as a team. The win brings their record up to a dismal 1-5. Despite their official record, the Wizards are still a good team and could make the playoffs, but not if they keep playing the way they are now. It’s a good thing it’s only the beginning of the season.

The Wizards will be playing the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. The Pacers’ record is better than the Wizards, but it should be a good game as long as the Wizards can maintain their level of play from Sunday’s game.

Dwayne Wade was cleared to play for the Miami Heat; however, Wade said he didn’t want to rush to make his debut this season. Without Wade, the Miami Heat are 1-5, even with center Shaquille O’Neal.

New Jersey Nets’ Vince Carter sprained his ankle and the Nets say they don’t know when he’ll return to the team. This season, Carter has averaged 17 points and 5 rebounds per game. If he’s out indefinitely it could affect the team’s chances to get to the playoffs unless someone else can step up their game and score and rebound as well as Carter has.

It doesn’t seem to matter much that the Boston Celtics, who were one of the worst teams in the league last year, didn’t get the first pick in this year’s draft. Instead, they traded for all-star Kevin Garnett, and acquired Ray Allen. The combination of those players and Paul Pierce make the Celtics the only undefeated team in the NBA. No one believed the Celtics could make a turn-around this quickly. Since Garnett and Allen came this summer, there have been fears that the team wouldn’t gel, but with the “Big Three” playing this well, the Celtics might make the playoffs and have one of the best records in the league. They are playing the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night — hoping to make their record to 6-0. The Luck of the Irish may be back.

Observer reporter Lisa Tanger contributed to this week’s NFL report.