A sudden change of events could affect Monday night's National Football League game in Oakland between the host Raiders and Green Bay Packers.
Packers' quarterback Brett Favre is expected to start even though his father Irvin died Sunday suddenly while driving his car near the family home at Kiln, Mississippi. Reports are that he had a heart attack or a stroke causing him to drive off the road and into a ditch.
Favre has been playing with a broken thumb all year which is almost completely healed, but now he'll be carrying a heavy mental and emotional burden going into the game against the Raiders (4-10). The Packers have eight wins and six losses and are trying to advance to the post-season for the ninth time in 11 years, but they need to win their last two games to keep their playoff hopes alive.
At the moment, the Packers are riding a modest two-game winning streak and have a chance to win the National Football Conference North division. They need a win to pull into a tie with the Minnesota Vikings, who are 9-6. The Packers also have to keep pace with the 9-6 Seattle Seahawks for a possible wildcard playoff berth if they don't win their division.
If the teams have the same records at the end of the season, then Minnesota would hold a tie-breaking edge over Green Bay, but the Packers would edge out Seattle.
Brett Favre has thrown for 27 touchdowns this season and needs two more to move into second place on the all-time list for quarterbacks behind Fran Tarkenton.
This is the last Monday Night Football game of the NFL season.