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Javon Walker caught a 63-yard touchdown pass from Joe Webb in the fourth quarter, helping Minnesota edge Denver, 31-24, in the preseason finale for both teams.
Brett Favre took the night off for the Vikings, leaving Tarvaris Jackson to start. He completed just 2-of-8 passes for two yards. Webb finished 5-of-9 for 100 yards for the Vikings, who begin their season with an NFC Championship Game rematch by playing the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints next Thursday at the Superdome.
Rookie Tim Tebow connected on 12-of-16 passes for 167 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Broncos, who open the regular season on the road at Jacksonville September 12. Tebow fumbled his first snap, resulting in a 35- yard return for a touchdown by Erin Henderson in the first quarter.
Broncos running back LenDale White suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter.
Kyle Orton started for Denver and finished 5-of-8 for 56 yards, while Brady Quinn was 14-of-21 for 149 yards and a TD.
Rookie Eric Decker, who played collegiate ball at Minnesota, had a strong homecoming by making 10 catches for 114 yards for Denver.
Walker’s TD catch extended Minnesota’s lead to 31-21 nearly five minutes into the fourth, but Matt Prater booted a 49-yard field goal with less than five minutes remaining. Quinn drove the Broncos to the Minnesota 12, but he threw three straight incomplete passes to turn the ball over on downs with 50 seconds left.
Brett Favre will get one more opportunity to tune up for his 20th NFL season on Thursday night, when the living legend leads the Minnesota Vikings into preseason action against the Denver Broncos at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
Favre played extensively in last Saturday's 24-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks, completing 16-of-26 passes for 187 yards with a pair of interceptions. Favre and the first-string are expected to play only briefly on Thursday, in keeping with preseason tradition.
Backup QBs Tarvaris Jackson, Sage Rosenfels and Joe Webb will follow Favre in the lineup. Rosenfels and Webb are perceived as being on the roster bubble.
Also looking to impress will be new Vikings wideouts Javon Walker and Greg Camarillo, both of whom had their moments in the Seattle win. The former Bronco Walker caught two passes for 32 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown pass, and Camarillo hauled in a team-best four catches for 47 yards.
On the injury front for Minnesota, center John Sullivan (calf) is expected to be out on Thursday, with Anthony Herrera the most likely fill-in.
Fans at the Metrodome should get a long look at Denver quarterback Tim Tebow on Saturday night, with the ex-Florida star looking to build off an encouraging effort in a 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. Tebow was 5-of-10 passing for 72 yards with an interception, but also threw a three-yard touchdown pass to wideout and fellow rookie Eric Decker in the game's late stages. Brady Quinn should also see time at QB for the Broncos on Thursday.
At running back, the status of Knowshon Moreno (hamstring) and Correll Buckhalter (back) is uncertain for Thursday, which could mean continued extended time for Lance Ball and LenDale White.
Ball leads the Broncos with 119 yards on 21 carries in the preseason, while White shook off the injury bug with 12 totes for 34 yards and a touchdown versus the Steelers.
Following Thursday's games, all 32 NFL teams will have until 6pm ET on Saturday evening to trim their rosters to the 53-player maximum.
The Vikings hold a 6-5 edge in their all-time preseason series with the Broncos, breaking a deadlock in the series with a 27-17 road win in the last such meeting, prior to the 1987 campaign.
The franchises last squared off in meaningful play during the 2007 regular season, with Denver taking a 22-19 overtime decision at Invesco Field at Mile High.
The Vikings will help kick off the 2010 NFL regular season when they travel to meet the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome next Thursday. The Broncos open their schedule on Sept. 12th at the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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Report: Childress Officially Names Tarvaris Jackson Vikings Backup Quarterback
Judd Zulgad of the Star Tribune reports on Twitter that Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress has officially named Tarvaris Jackson the team’s backup quarterback.
Tarvaris Jackson remains the top backup to Brett Favre. Brad Childress made that official tonight.less than a minute ago via TweetDeck
JuddZulgad
JuddZulgad
Sep 02 11:25p by Ben Golliver - 1 comment