Brett Favre was a franchise altering player for the Green Bay Packers. From the time he became the team’s starting quarterback in 1992, the Packers fortunes changed dramatically. The team ended 25 years of struggles and have been perennial winners ever since.

Favre was a first-ballot Hall of Famer and at the time of his retirement, he was the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdown passes, yards and had a consecutive games streak that no quarterback is likely to approach any time soon.

But what was Favre’s best season with the Packers? The answer is 1995, the year the former Mississippi State star won his first NFL MVP award and led the Packers to the first of three consecutive NFC Championship Game appearances.

Favre finished the season with 38 touchdown passes which led the league and 4,413 yards which also placed him first. The Packers also won their first division title in a non-strike season since 1972 and finished the season with an 11-5 record.

It was impressive that Favre was able to accomplish that. His favorite receiver, Sterling Sharpe, had his career ended prematurely at the end of the 1994 season due to a neck injury. Suddenly, Favre found himself without his security blanket and had to find a new target to rely on when things broke down.

“When you look at the start of the season and what people were anticipating of the Packers, very few thought we’d be able to accomplish what we have,” Favre said after winning the MVP award. “No one thought we’d have a winning record. No one thought we’d make the playoffs again.”

Favre proved them all wrong. The Packers quarterback ended up finding a primary receiver but also distributing the ball more equally to other players. Robert Brooks stepped into the void at wide receiver and led the team with 102 catches for 1,497 yards and 13 touchdowns including a record-tying 99-yard touchdown pass against the Bears on Monday Night Football.

After Brooks, the catches were more evenly distributed with running back Edgar Bennett catching 61 passes, tight end Mark Chmura adding 54 receptions, running back Dorsey Levens pitching in 48 and wide receiver Mark Ingram 39.

Favre also played some outstanding games in 1995. His career-best five touchdown performance against the Bears in Week 11 was a new career high and he played the game on a badly sprained ankle. He also threw for four touchdowns in a game twice and had four games with three scoring passes.

The Packers improved as the season progressed, winning six of their final seven games with their only loss coming in overtime on the road in Tampa Bay.

After winning the league MVP award for what would be the first of three straight seasons, Favre and the Packers set their sights on the postseason. In the first round, he got revenge on the team that traded him away when the Packers beat the Falcons 37-20 at Lambeau Field. Favre threw for three touchdown passes in that game and had a quarterback rating of 111.5 with Brooks, Chmura and Levens each catching a touchdown.

A week later, Favre led the Packers past the defending Super Bowl champion 49ers in San Francisco 27-17. It was that upset win that transformed the Packers from a young and promising team on the rise to a true Super Bowl contender in the minds of most experts. Favre threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns and for the second straight week did not throw an interception. His quarterback rating was 132.9.

The big thing was that Favre was maturing as a quarterback. He started to realize the importance of winning games rather than padding his personal statistics.

“Being in the postseason and winning games is what separates you from the other quarterbacks,” Favre told reporters before the NFC Championship Game that year. “There’s no doubt about that. That’s what we play for.”

His teammates learned to expect the unexpected from their young signal caller. As tight end Keith Jackson said, “You never say never with him.”

Safety LeRoy Butler added, “This year, there’s not a quarterback that’s even close to Brett. To compare him to anybody is an injustice to him.”

Favre threw for 307 yards and three touchdown passes in the NFC Championship Game against Dallas, but the Packers fell 38-27 although they led 27-24 at the start of the fourth quarter.

It all ended up being a learning experience for Favre, who one year later, overcame an offseason stint in rehab for prescription pain killers and won a second straight MVP award while leading the Packers to their first Super Bowl title in 29 years.

At 26, Favre was at the top of his profession and well on his way to the Hall of Fame. While he would win two more MVPs in a row, no season statistically matched Favre’s 1995 campaign and the season represented the Kiln, Mississippi, native at the top of his powers.

It was the year both the quarterback and the team made the jump from good to great. One year later, they would be the best.