Favre Completes One Pass, Takes One Sack In 15-10 Loss To Niners

Brett Favre made his preseason debut but it was San Francisco that took the win as the 49ers defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 15-10, in preseason action.

After two weeks of reports that Favre informed his teammates he was retiring, Favre reported to the Vikings training camp last Tuesday as the 40-year-old will be taking part in his 20th NFL season.

He started the game and appeared in one series, completing the only pass he threw for 13 yards, but did not lead the Vikings to a score. He is still recovering from offseason ankle surgery.

Anthony Dixon scored a touchdown and had 20 carries for 51 yards while Alex Smith went 9-for-13 for 88 yards for the 49ers, who have won both of their preseason games.

Adrian Peterson had six carries for 17 yards and added three catches for 25 yards for the Vikings, who won their preseason opener against St. Louis. Joe Webb added a 48-yard touchdown run.

The 49ers drew first blood as Dixon’s four-yard plunge into the end zone capped a 12-play, 70-yard drive for the only points of the first quarter.

Ryan Longwell’s 40-yard boot between the uprights accounted for the only points of the second quarter to make it a 7-3 game going into the break.

Joe Nedney’s 28-yard field goal in the third quarter gave the 49ers a 10-3 lead.

Nedney kicked a 31-yard field goal early in the fourth to extend San Fran’s lead to 13-3.

Webb’s touchdown run late in the fourth got Minnesota to within three. San Francisco, though, got a safety on the last play of the game by sacking Webb in the end zone.

Vikings Travel To San Francisco For Pre-Season Action

Brett Favre will make his first appearance of the 2011 season on Sunday night, when the indecisive legend leads the Minnesota Vikings into preseason action against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park.

Two weeks after a flurry of national reports revealed that Favre was informing teammates of his retirement, the quarterback reported to the Vikings last Tuesday to commence his 20th NFL season. The 40-year-old will attempt to better the stunning performance he offered up in his first season in a Minnesota uniform last year, when he threw for 33 touchdowns with just seven interceptions for a team that was an overtime session away from reaching the Super Bowl.

Favre, who is still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, is expected to play no more than a series or two on Sunday before yielding to backups Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels.

It was Rosenfels who did most of the heavy lifting in the Vikes' 28-7 win over the St. Louis Rams last Saturday, completing 23-of-34 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.

On the injury front for Minnesota, wide receiver Percy Harvin is not expected to be in uniform following a scary episode on Thursday that saw him collapse on the practice field. Harvin, who has battled migraines throughout his life, was hospitalized overnight but is not expected to be out of the lineup for an extended period.

Linebacker E.J. Henderson (leg) is a question mark for the Vikings on Sunday.

Though Favre and the Vikings will hog most of the headlines, the 49ers will likewise be taking a step forward in a season that they hope will land them in the playoffs as well.

Mike Singletary's club started the tune-up period off with a 37-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday, though quarterback Alex Smith (3-of-9, 37 yards, 1 INT) was not among the players who had much of an impact on the win.

As he looks for improvement, Smith could be sharing the backfield on Sunday with recently-signed running back Brian Westbrook, who is competing with Anthony Dixon for the No. 2 tailback job.

Dixon has a leg up after rushing 21 times for 100 yards and a touchdown against the Colts last week.

The Vikings hold a 3-1 edge in their all-time preseason series with the 49ers, including a 23-10 home victory in the last such meeting, prior to the 2004 season.

The teams last met in meaningful play in Week 3 of last season, a 27-24 Minnesota win at the Metrodome highlighted by a last-second touchdown pass from Favre to wideout Greg Lewis.