GREEN BAY, Wis. - For the second straight season, the bye comes at just the right time for an injured Brett Favre.
The Packers quarterback learned Monday he played almost the entire game Sunday at St. Louis with a broken right thumb, which he injured on his second pass attempt.
Favre declined comment, but coach Mike Sherman said the injury was minor and should not prevent Favre from extending his league quarterbacks record 197-game starting streak after the bye.
"He has a hairline crack on his thumb," Sherman said. "If we had to play this week, he said he could play with it, and hopefully in two weeks, when we play, it will be better."
The Packers next face Minnesota on Nov. 2. Favre banged his thumb on guard Mike Wahle's shoulder pads on an incompletion to Donald Driver on the Packers' first series, but did not come out.
Last season, Favre had a partially torn ligament in his left knee after he was tackled by Washington linebacker LaVar Arrington. Favre took advantage of the bye week to continue his consecutive starts streak, which stands at 180 plus 17 playoff games.
JETS QB READY TO GO: Chad Pennington will return for the Jets on Sunday, though not as the starter. Coach Herman Edwards said Vinny Testaverde will start at quarterback against the Eagles, and Pennington will enter the game off the bench. Pennington, slated to be the starter this season, has not played since breaking his left wrist Aug. 23 in a preseason game against the Giants.
Edwards said he made the decision to start Testaverde because he does not know if Pennington is in condition to play four quarters. Edwards said Pennington will start Nov. 2 against the Giants.
At 2-4, the Jets still hope to make a playoff run. Last year, Pennington led the Jets to the AFC East title, replacing Testaverde after a 1-3 start.
"I'm not going to worry about trying to save the world or be the savior of this team because this team is fine the way it is," Pennington said. "For me to try to come in there and do something extra special would be crazy because the way we're playing, that doesn't have to happen."
DOLPHINS: Quarterback Jay Fiedler has a sprained ligament in his left knee and had tests to determine the extent of the injury. Coach Dave Wannstedt said no update on Fiedler's condition would be made before Wednesday and he would not speculate how long Fiedler would be sidelined - if at all. If Fiedler cannot play, backup Brian Griese would start Monday night at San Diego. Griese, signed in the offseason as a free agent, has not taken any game snaps this season.
RAMS: Marshall Faulk will be back on the practice field this week, though he is not likely to play Sunday at Pittsburgh. Faulk has missed three games with a broken left hand and torn cartilage in his right knee. Coach Mike Martz said Faulk still has to prove his leg is strong enough to play.
"Could Marshall play this week? Probably," Martz said. "We just want to make sure the knee is as strong as it needs to be before we put him in a competitive situation."
Martz said backup running back Lamar Gordon's high ankle sprain sustained Sunday will not affect Faulk's return, even if Gordon can't play against the Steelers.
