By Greg Beacham
Associated Press
Sunday, September 12, 1999; 4:39 p.m. EDT

GREEN BAY, Wis. – How will Brett Favre do without Mike Holmgren? Just fine, thanks.

Favre led the Green Bay Packers on an 11-play, 82-yard touchdown drive in the final 1:51 as the Packers stunned the Oakland Raiders 28-24 Sunday.

The three-time league MVP engineered the 11th fourth-quarter comeback of his career, capped by a 1-yard TD toss to Jeff Thomason with 11 seconds left.

Favre, who also had three passes intercepted, was 28-of-47 for 333 yards and four touchdowns.

His late-game heroics prevented the Packers' second loss in the last 32 games at Lambeau Field. Green Bay also kept a fourth-quarter scoring drive alive by using instant replay to reverse a call.

It was a winning debut for Packers coach Ray Rhodes, who took over after Holmgren left for Seattle after last season. Holmgren led the Packers to two Super Bowls, including a championship in 1997.

A rain-soaked crowd of 59,872 watched the Raiders' swarming defense force four turnovers and stymie the Packers' running game during the first 3 1/2 quarters. Third-string running back Randy Jordan had two 1-yard touchdown runs for Oakland, which lost its season opener for the fourth straight year.

The final drive began after Green Bay got the ball back with 1:51 left and a penalty stranded the Packers at their own 18. Favre hit Levens for 22 yards and Antonio Freeman for 6, and Levens' 12-yard run put Green Bay at Oakland's 42 with a minute to play.

Bill Schroeder's 10-yard catch moved the Packers to the 31, and after two incompletions, Schroeder caught an 11-yard pass at the Oakland 20. After a spike, Favre found Corey Bradford down the right sideline for a 19-yard gain with 15 seconds left.

After an Oakland timeout, Favre lingered in the pocket before firing a 1-yard bullet to Thomason, one of three tight ends on the field for the play. Oakland's final pass fell incomplete as the Packers won their fourth straight season opener.

The Raiders have the league's toughest schedule, but they looked like winners Sunday until Favre's drive. James Jett had three catches for 88 yards, including a 43-yard catch in the fourth quarter that set up Jordan's second TD run and made it 24-14 with 10:52 to play.

With 8:10 left, tight end Tyrone Davis dived for a catch at the Raiders 14, but officials ruled the pass incomplete. Rhodes challenged the call – instant replay is back after an eight-year absence – and referee Tony Corrente reversed the decision and ruled a completed pass.

Two plays later, Favre threw an 8-yard TD pass to Bradford, who stepped in front of Freeman for his first NFL touchdown catch. The score cut Oakland's lead to 24-21 with 7:20 to play.

Two of Favre's interceptions came on tipped balls that ricocheted off the hands of their intended receivers. Green Bay's first three possessions of the second quarter ended in turnovers, and Oakland made scoring drives of just 32 and 21 yards to take a 10-7 halftime lead.

The Raiders' offense relied on big plays by Napoleon Kaufman and Jett to set up their other scores. Rich Gannon was 16-of-31 for 227 yards, though the Raiders' offense made only one long drive in the game.

Favre took the Packers on a 62-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter, twice hitting tight end Mark Chmura for first downs. Chmura missed Green Bay's entire preseason while resting a neck injury.

Schroeder, in his first game as a regular starter for the Packers, caught a 4-yard touchdown pass with 5:44 left in the opening quarter. Oakland went up 10-7 on a 41-yard field goal by Michael Husted and a one-yard run by Jordan which was set up by an interception by Darrien Gordon.

After nearly a month of gorgeous weather in Green Bay, a light rain began to fall 30 minutes before kickoff and continued intermittently throughout the game.