If you walk into any sports bar in Wisconsin and ask about No. 4, you’re going to hear stories that sound more like tall tales than actual box scores. They'll tell you about the time he played on a broken thumb, or the night he shredded the Raiders just a day after his dad passed away. But when you get down to the brass tacks and ask how many Super Bowls did Brett Favre win, the answer is usually followed by a bit of a sigh.
He won one. Just one.
That feels weird, right? For a guy who basically owned the 1990s and threw for over 71,000 yards, you’d think he’d have a closet full of rings like Tom Brady or Terry Bradshaw. Honestly, Favre was the ultimate "live by the sword, die by the sword" quarterback. He was a gunslinger in every sense of the word, which made him the most exciting player on the planet but also meant he threw a lot of soul-crushing interceptions at the worst possible moments.
The Night in New Orleans: Super Bowl XXXI
The year was 1997. The venue was the Louisiana Superdome, just an hour or so away from where Favre grew up in Kiln, Mississippi. This was the peak of the "Favre-mania" era. He was coming off back-to-back MVP awards and the Green Bay Packers were finally back in the big game after a nearly 30-year drought.
The game itself against the New England Patriots was a wild ride. Favre didn’t waste any time. On the Packers’ second play from scrimmage, he checked out of a play, saw Andre Rison with a step on his defender, and launched a 54-yard bomb for a touchdown. He didn't even wait for Rison to catch it; he was already running downfield with his helmet off, celebrating like a kid on a playground.
He finished that night with two passing touchdowns and a rushing score where he basically dived over a pile of human beings to hit the pylon.
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The final score was 35-21. Even though Desmond Howard took home the MVP trophy for that legendary 99-yard kickoff return, everyone knew it was Favre’s team. He brought the Lombardi Trophy back to Titletown. At that moment, it felt like the first of many.
What Happened in Super Bowl XXXII?
If you want to see a Packers fan get twitchy, mention the 1997 season (the 1998 Super Bowl). Green Bay went back to the championship as massive favorites against John Elway and the Denver Broncos. Most experts thought the Packers would steamroll them.
They didn't.
Favre played okay—three touchdowns and 256 yards—but Terrell Davis turned into a human cheat code for Denver, and the Packers' defense just couldn't get off the field. That 31-24 loss is probably the biggest "what if" in Favre’s career. If they win that game, the "how many Super Bowls did Brett Favre win" conversation is totally different. You're talking about a back-to-back champion, a dynasty, and maybe the sting of the later years doesn't feel so sharp.
The Iron Man and the Interceptions
To understand why there isn't a second or third ring, you have to look at how Favre played the game. He holds the record for 297 consecutive starts. That’s insane. He played through everything—pneumonia, broken bones, you name it. But he also holds the record for the most career interceptions (336).
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He was a gambler.
Take the 2007 NFC Championship against the New York Giants. It’s freezing cold at Lambeau Field. The game is on the line. Favre drops back and throws a ball into coverage that gets picked off, setting up the Giants' winning field goal. Or look at his stint with the Minnesota Vikings in 2009. He had a career year at age 40, led them to the brink of the Super Bowl, and then—stop me if you've heard this—threw a late interception across the middle of the field against the Saints.
It was the Favre experience in a nutshell: brilliance followed by a "why did he throw that?" moment.
The Legacy Beyond the Ring
By the time he finally hung it up in 2010, the numbers were staggering.
- 3-time consecutive NFL MVP (1995, 1996, 1997)
- 11 Pro Bowl selections
- 71,838 passing yards
- 508 touchdowns
But as we sit here in 2026, the conversation around Favre has gotten a lot more complicated. It’s not just about the football anymore. Between the 2024 Parkinson’s diagnosis and the massive legal headache involving the Mississippi welfare fund scandal, his "folksy hero" image has taken some serious hits. Netflix even dropped that Untold: The Fall of Favre documentary recently, which really dug into the texting scandals and the financial allegations.
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It’s a lot to process. For a generation of fans, he was the guy who made football fun again. Now, when people ask about his Super Bowl wins, they're often doing it while trying to reconcile the legendary player with the flawed human being.
Comparing the "Gunslingers"
You’ve probably seen the comparisons to Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has that same "no-look, sidearm, anything is possible" energy. The difference is that Mahomes has already passed Favre’s ring count while playing in a system that values efficiency a bit more.
Favre played in an era where the West Coast offense was the gold standard, but he often colored outside the lines. Mike Holmgren, his coach in Green Bay, famously used to scream at him on the sidelines. They had a "love-hate" relationship because Holmgren wanted structure and Favre wanted to make magic happen.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the history of that mid-90s Packers era or want to see exactly how Favre's stats stack up against the modern greats, here is what you should do:
- Watch the Super Bowl XXXI Highlights: Go to YouTube and look for the official NFL "Game in 40" or highlight reel for Super Bowl XXXI. Pay attention to the Rison and Freeman touchdowns; the sheer velocity on those throws was something else.
- Compare the "Iron Man" Records: Look up the current active leaders for consecutive starts. You’ll realize just how untouchable Favre’s 297-game streak actually is in today’s NFL.
- Read "Gunslinger" by Jeff Pearlman: This is widely considered the definitive biography of Favre. It doesn't sugarcoat the rough edges and gives a great look at why he only ended up with that one ring despite being so dominant.
- Check the Hall of Fame Stats: If you're a numbers person, visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame website to see how his interception-to-touchdown ratio compares to guys like Joe Montana or Aaron Rodgers. It explains a lot about his postseason volatility.
Favre will always be a one-ring guy, but in the world of the NFL, that one ring in 1997 meant more to the state of Wisconsin than five rings might mean anywhere else. He didn't just win a game; he resurrected a franchise that had been dead for decades.