East Rutherford, N.J. ? Brett Favre was at his dazzling best after a miserable start that put the Minnesota Vikings in a hole.

There would be no classic comeback this time, though, for the record-breaking quarterback.

Hit hard early and often by Rex Ryan’s physical defense, Favre nearly led the Vikings back with a milestone night, but Dwight Lowery returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown with 1:30 left as the New York Jets beat the Vikings, 29-20, on Monday night in a game that was delayed 45 minutes at the start by lightning.

Lacking fireworks early, Nick Folk kicked five field goals for the Jets (4-1), two after fumbles by Favre, and now the 41-year-old quarterback is left wondering if an even bigger punishment is in store from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Favre finished 14-for-34 for 264 yards for the Vikings (1-3) hours after he apologized to teammates for the distraction caused by an NFL investigation into allegations that he sent racy messages and lewd photos to a Jets game hostess in 2008.

He became the first NFL player to throw 500 TD passes and for 70,000 yards, but two early fumbles against his former team helped put the Vikings in a 12-0 hole.

Favre threw three touchdowns, including two to Percy Harvin — the second bringing the Vikings within two points with 3:09 left in the game. Favre and the Vikings offense had the ball with 1:43 remaining and poised for a winning drive — until Favre’s last big mistake.

He connected with new teammate Randy Moss from 37 yards out late in the third quarter to cut the Jets’ lead to 12-7.