Assuming Kurt Warner makes the start Sunday, the Favre-Warner matchup would be the 8th oldest (in combined ages) starting quarterback matchup in modern NFL history.
Oldest starting quarterback matchups, NFL, 1950-2009:
| Combined Age |
Game |
Date |
Winning QB |
Age |
Losing QB |
Age |
82 years, 44 days
|
GB 31, CAR 17 |
11/18/2007 |
Brett Favre |
38-39 |
Vinny Testaverde |
44-5 |
80 years, 84 days
|
CAR 25, ARI 10 |
10/14/2007 |
Vinny Testaverde |
43-335 |
Kurt Warner |
36-114 |
80 years, 67 days
|
DEN 21, SEA 16 |
10/11/1998 |
John Elway |
38-105 |
Warren Moon |
41-327 |
79 years, 283 days
|
CAR 31, SF 14 |
12/2/2007 |
Vinny Testaverde |
44-19 |
Trent Dilfer |
35-264 |
79 years, 260 days
|
NYJ 28, ATL 3 |
10/25/1998 |
Vinny Testaverde |
34-346 |
Steve DeBerg |
44-279 |
78 years, 352 days
|
NYG 19, MIA 14 |
12/5/1993 |
Phil Simms |
39-32 |
Steve DeBerg |
39-320 |
78 years, 288 days
|
DAL 13, TB 9 |
10/26/2008 |
Brad Johnson |
40-43 |
Jeff Garcia |
38-245 |
78 years, 224 days
|
ARI 30, MIN 17
|
12/6/2009 |
Kurt Warner |
38-167 |
Brett Favre |
40-57 |
78 years, 111 days
|
DEN 30, SEA 27 |
11/2/1997 |
John Elway |
37-127 |
Warren Moon |
40-349 |
77 years, 364 days
|
DEN 35, SEA 14 |
9/7/1997 |
John Elway |
37-71 |
Warren Moon |
40-293 |
77 years, 352 days
|
CHI 15, MIN 13 |
10/28/1996 |
Dave Krieg |
38-8 |
Warren Moon |
39-344 |
77 years, 104 days
|
SEA 38, SF 9 |
12/21/1997 |
Warren Moon |
41-33 |
Steve Young |
36-71 |
All 1990s and 2000s games. Looking at prior decades …
Oldest starting quarterback matchups, NFL, 1980-1989:
| Combined Age |
Game |
Date |
Winning QB |
Age |
Losing QB |
Age |
72 years, 188 days
|
HOU 20, DEN 16 |
11/2/1980 |
Ken Stabler |
34-312 |
Craig Morton |
37-241 |
72 years, 179 days
|
DEN 17, OAK 0 |
10/4/1981 |
Craig Morton |
38-241 |
Jim Plunkett |
33-303 |
72 years, 123 days
|
DEN 9, OAK 7
|
9/6/1981 |
Craig Morton |
38-213 |
Jim Plunkett |
33-275 |
72 years, 19 days
|
TB 20, MIN 10 |
10/18/1987 |
Jim Zorn |
34-161 |
Tony Adams |
37-223 |
71 years, 325 days
|
STL 14, PHI 11 |
9/25/1983 |
Jim Hart |
39-149 |
Ron Jaworski |
32-186 |
The Zorn-Adams matchup came during the last week of replacement games, and was the last game of both quarterbacks’ careers.
Oldest starting quarterback matchups, NFL, 1970-1979:
| Combined Age |
Game |
Date |
Winning QB |
Age |
Losing QB |
Age |
76 years, 173 days
|
SF 20, KC 3 |
10/5/1975 |
Norm Snead |
36-66 |
Len Dawson |
40-107 |
75 years, 163 days
|
MIN 21, DAL 10 |
10/26/1978 |
Fran Tarkenton |
38-265 |
Roger Staubach |
36-263 |
75 years, 147 days
|
KC 42, DEN 34 |
11/18/1974 |
Len Dawson |
39-151 |
Charley Johnson |
35-361 |
75 years, 139 days
|
WAS 24, NYG 3 |
10/20/1974 |
Sonny Jurgensen |
40-58 |
Norm Snead |
35-81 |
74 years, 143 days
|
WAS 38, SD 0 |
9/16/1973 |
Billy Kilmer |
34-11 |
Johnny Unitas |
40-132 |
44-year-old George Blanda played the majority of the game, but did not start, against 38-year-old Johnny Unitas and 36-year-old Len Dawson towards the end of the 1971 season.
Oldest starting quarterback matchups, AFL/NFL, 1960-1969:
| Combined Age |
Game |
Date |
Winning QB |
Age |
Losing QB |
Age |
74 years, 284 days
|
NYG 17, PIT 14 |
9/24/1961 |
Charlie Conerly |
40-5 |
Bobby Layne |
35-279 |
74 years, 56 days
|
PIT 44, NYG 17 |
11/22/1964 |
Ed Brown |
36-27 |
Y.A. Tittle |
38-29 |
73 years, 317 days
|
BOS 42, HOU 14 |
12/18/1965 |
Babe Parilli |
35-225 |
George Blanda |
38-92 |
73 years, 285 days
|
PIT 27, NYG 24 |
9/20/1964 |
Ed Brown |
35-319 |
Y.A. Tittle |
37-331 |
73 years, 281 days
|
HOU 31, OAK 0 |
9/10/1966 |
George Blanda |
36-362 |
Cotton Davidson |
34-284 |
Oldest starting quarterback matchups, NFL, 1950-1959:
| Combined Age |
Game |
Date |
Winning QB |
Age |
Losing QB |
Age |
71 years, 246 days
|
NYG 24, PHI 7 |
10/18/1959 |
Charlie Conerly |
38-29 |
Norm Van Brocklin |
33-217 |
71 years, 218 days
|
PHI 49, NYG 21 |
10/4/1959 |
Norm Van Brocklin |
33-203 |
Charlie Conerly |
38-15 |
71 years, 25 days
|
PHI 33, WAS 0 |
11/12/1950 |
Tommy Thompson |
34-150 |
Sammy Baugh |
36-240 |
70 years, 346 days
|
NYG 21, PIT 16 |
10/25/1959 |
Charlie Conerly |
38-36 |
Bobby Layne |
32-310 |
69 years, 362 days
|
PHI 27, NYG 24 |
10/5/1958 |
Norm Van Brocklin |
34-346 |
Charlie Conerly |
37-16 |
Oldest starting quarterback matchups, NFL Playoffs, 1950-2009:
| Combined Age |
Game |
Date |
Winning QB |
Age |
Losing QB |
Age |
75 years, 301 days
|
DEN 38, MIA 3 |
1/9/1999 |
John Elway |
38-185 |
Dan Marino |
37-116 |
74 years, 264 days
|
KC 28, HOU 20 |
1/16/1994 |
Joe Montana |
37-219 |
Warren Moon |
37-59 |
74 years, 83 days
|
OAK 38, NYJ 24 |
1/12/2002 |
Rich Gannon |
36-23 |
Vinny Testaverde |
38-60 |
74 years, 58 days
|
MIN 35, WAS 20 |
12/18/1976 |
Fran Tarkenton |
36-319 |
Billy Kilmer |
37-104 |
73 years, 248 days
|
DEN 23, NYJ 10 |
1/17/1999 |
John Elway |
38-183 |
Vinny Testaverde |
35-65 |
Potential Favre-Warner, Favre-McNabb, and Favre-Peyton Manning matchups would make this list.
