RENTON, Wash. — People in and around New York — and quite a few more across the NFL — are starting to think Brett Favre's career may be as done as the Jets' playoff chances.

Mike Holmgren is definitely not in New York. And he's just days from being out of the NFL.

Favre's friend, confidant and former coach defended the three-time MVP on Monday.

Holmgren said the Seahawks having perhaps their best defensive game of the season, and not Favre being 39, had more to do with No. 4 throwing two interceptions and getting sacked four times Sunday in an upset loss at lowly Seattle, which may have crushed the Jets' playoff hopes.

The Jets (9-6) managed a season-low three points in their third loss in four games. They now must beat Miami at home Sunday and have either New England or Baltimore lose to get into the playoffs.

Favre was selected to the Pro Bowl for the 10th time last week and earlier this season threw six touchdown passes in a win over Arizona. But he has one touchdown pass and six interceptions in the last four games. He had his second-lowest passer rating of the season on Sunday (48.7).

"You get to expect so many great things from him — and he's had games this season that were incredibly good — that when it's not incredibly good some people have a tendency to say, 'What's wrong?' Well, there's nothing wrong," Holmgren said Monday, seven days before his one-year sabbatical from football begins.

"It's just that our defense played pretty well. It was snowing like crazy. We got to him, we sacked him a couple times, which was good. We hadn't done that lately. I have a tendency to say I think he played his game. I just think we were better on defense."

Favre started 8-for-9 but finished 18-for-31 with the two interceptions and just 187 yards, his seventh game below 200 yards passing this season. And it came against a defense that entered Sunday allowing a league-high 260.9 yards passing per game.

Passing through at-times heavy snow, the quarterback renowned for his excellence in such conditions — "which is true," Holmgren said Monday — continually underthrew receivers. He was short to Laveranues Coles near the Seahawks 30 in the fourth quarter while New York trailed 10-3, and behind David Clowney in the third quarter at the Seahawks 40.

That gave more credence to the theory a 39-year-old passing shoulder is finally betraying Favre.

"I felt comfortable. Never really felt uncomfortable," an obviously disappointed and somber Favre said after the game. "We were just never able to get it going.

"Once again: Three points. I don't care how well you're moving it between the two goal lines ... the bottom line is getting it into the end zone."

New York was still down 10-3 while at its own 12 with 3:06 left, but Darryl Tapp sacked Favre on first down. On fourth-and-2, Favre heaved perhaps his longest and best pass of his otherwise poor day. The ball reached Coles in stride at the Seahawks 40, but bounced off his hands then chest, then the hands of defensive back Kelly Jennings before falling to the turf.

Seattle kicked the clinching field goal a few plays later.

Holmgren brought Favre to Green Bay in 1992 and molded the former option quarterback at Southern Mississippi into a champion and a legend, before the coach left for Seattle prior to the 1999 season. Because Holmgren knows firsthand all that Favre has accomplished, he braced for what he might do to the 3-11 Seahawks entering Sunday.

"The fact that we were playing the Jets, he was on the Jets, and it was snowing — it was like it was too much. It was just unbelievable," Holmgren said. "He is one of the greatest competitors I have ever seen and been around. Of course I was nervous about it, but like I said, our defense I think stepped up and did a great job."

The upset dropped the supposed king of cold-weather passing to 1-6 on the road in his career in games played with temperatures of 34 degrees or below. He was 43-6 in such conditions in Green Bay.

Holmgren said that disparity is primarily a factor of simply playing home games all those winters in frigid Wisconsin, against teams from more temperate climates that were literally stunned by the cold.

But Holmgren also said Favre has "monster" hands that allow him to throw a brick-like ball on cold days, while many others can't grip it well.

It's forecast to be 52 degrees with rain showers at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday, when the Jets fights for their playoff lives against the Dolphins.

Favre had better get a grip on his almost-lost season by then.