Brett Favre will get one more opportunity to tune up for his 20th NFL season on Thursday night, when the Minnesota Vikings welcome the Denver Broncos to 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 as the two seem to be fighting for that number two spot behind starter Kyle Orton.

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.

This article was written by Rickomatic, one of our forum members.  We have put together a little contest to help keep the content on the homepage updated this season.  Each week you will see a preview of the upcoming game from one of our forum members.  If you would like to take part, and have a chance to win a Broncos Jersey, sign up!

On Saturday, during prime time, the nation gets the opportunity to watch the Broncos versus the Steelers on FOX. While this is still only the pre-season, and even if the Broncos and the Steelers are missing prime time players on both sides of the ball, this event promises to be an interesting match-up that should deliver 3 full quarters of 1st team versus first team, smash-mouth Football.

Pittsburgh (2-0) in the preseason comes into town after a tumultous offseason involving a familiar name to struggle with keeping his name out of the limelight; Ben Rothlesburger. This time around, Rothlesburger was accused of raping a woman in the bathroom at a night club frequented by mostly college students. Bill Cowher recently stepped forward and declared that “Ben has been acting more mature as of late.” Which is good news for the Football community, but not too terribly exciting for the reputation he’s already tarnished, and the people he’s already hurt.

Denver (0-2) had its own share of bumps and bruises this offseason. The Summation of the Darrent Williams Court case, followed by the trade of Brandon Marshall to Miami, and then literally jumping into the pre-season grind with the injury to Ryan Clady’s knee. From there, it only got worse, with a laundry list of injuries. Correll Buckhalter, Tim Tebow, Knowshon Moreno, DJ Williams, LenDale White, and most notably, Elvis DOOMerville. Dumerville’s injury comes with impeccably poor timing as the ink was still drying on his 65 million dollar contract when he came up with a torn pec muscle.

Interestingly enough, Ben Rothelesburger appears to be staring a 4 game suspension in the face, and is still projected to be the starter on Sunday night. Pittsburgh has been scoring 23.5 points per game, and managed to wrack up more than 400 yards of offense against the NY Giants this last weekend. Pitt has also managed to establish a decent running game in both games, and has established that they have a ball-hawking defense coming up with an interception in both of their pre-season games.

Denver, on the other hand, has been a Tale of Two Teams this preseason. Kyle Orton, undisputed starter of the Denver Broncos, has been brilliant, averaging a QB rating over all in 105.0 land. Even after considering a first quarter debut against the lions that was only a 14.3. Meanwhile, Brady Quinn has looked pedestrian in all of his work for the Broncos second team, and has struggled with down the field consistency and maintaining drives. Tim Tebow has led one scoring drive, but that left him lame and will result in him not suiting for this game, barring a Miracle. Denver’s first team defense has shown some serious weakness against the run, but has come up huge in the “Red Area”.

As for my predictions: Look for Denver to come out with a pass first mentality again, and move the ball less than efficiently against Pittsburgh’s stellar Defense. Denver has Correll Buckhalter back, but there’s really no need to push him back into the starting spot, because they know what he’s capable of. Denver hasn’t wanted to, or really even tried to establish a run, and Sunday Nightwill be no different. Pittsburgh on the other hand will play typical Pittsburgh football, and looks to go up 3-0 and drop Denver to 0-3. I hate to say it Denver Fans, but while this will probably end up being an exciting high scoring affair, Denver’s past first offense will cost it dearly in a clutch moment of the game. Pitt by 7.

This article was written by Ragnar, one of our forum members.  We have put together a little contest to help keep the content on the homepage updated this season.  Each week you will see a preview of the upcoming game from one of our forum members.  If you would like to take part, and have a chance to win a Broncos Jersey, sign up!

It wasn’t that long ago that the Detroit Lions were just a punchline — and the reason why could be summed up in two words.

Matt Millen

In the seven years that Millen ran the Lions’ front office, he had very little to show for all the players he drafted. Calvin Johnson is the only first-round draft pick from the Millen regime who is still with the Lions and has actually made an impact (three offensive linemen are still with the team, but none of them have distinguished themselves). His Lions’ teams posted a 31-81 record under his watch, and while he was fired three games into the 2008 season, many people put that 0-16 season that year on the shoulders of Millen.

After the disastrous 2008 season, the Lions started the path to revamping their image. They named Martin Mayhew the new general manager, hired then-Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to be the new head coach, then set out to rebuild, starting with the selection of quarterback Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick of the 2009 NFL draft, then the addition of tight end Brandon Pettigrew toward the end of the first round. They also acquired Julian Peterson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks and sent quarterback Jon Kitna to the Dallas Cowboys for cornerback Anthony Henry.

Stafford’s rookie season saw him throw for 2,267 yards with 13 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in 11 games (he missed five games because of injuries). Injuries also affected wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who missed two games and saw his numbers drop from 2008. Pettigrew also missed five games, thanks to a torn ACL.

The Lions finished 2-14 in 2009. Still, there remained cause for optimism — some might say that is simply because Millen is no longer part of the franchise, but Stafford and Johnson do have potential to be a formidable duo if they can stay healthy.

During the 2010 offseason, the Lions made moves that they hope will bring them closer to respectability. First came the signing of free agent wide receiver Nate Burleson and defensive end Kyle VandenBosch. Bronco fans also know about one move in particular, in which the Broncos sent tight end Tony Scheffler and a seventh-round pick to Detriot in a three-way trade with the Eagles, in which Lions linebacker Ernie Sims was sent to Philadelphia and the Broncos got a fifth-round pick from the Eagles.

Next came the draft, in which the Lions used the second overall pick on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, considered by many to be the best player available in the 2010 draft. Detriot then traded back into the first round with NFC North division rival Minnesota to select running back Jahvid Best.

The Lions opened the preseason against Pittsburgh, losing 24-7. Detroit has already been dealt a blow as linebacker Jordon Dizon suffered a season-ending knee injury. His loss impacts a linebacking corps that is already thin. Peterson is the only proven linebacker on the roster.

Stafford has received praise from the coaching staff about his ability to lead the Lions offense. He was solid in the preseason opener, completing 8-of-11 passes for one touchdown and one interception. Backup quarterback Shaun Hill, acquired in an offseason trade with the 49ers, had a respectable outing as well, completing 8-of-10 passes.

But a big key to the Lions offense may very well be Jahvid Best. The rookie running back averaged 4.8 yards per carry on six attempts against Pittsburgh, his longest carry for 15 yards. And thus the Broncos run defense — the weak point of the Denver D in 2009 — will be tested again.

Against Cincinnati, the Broncos gave up 191 yards rushing. Although the Broncos first-string defense was solid, the run defense still must show improvement in order to take the Broncos closer to playoff contention. Denver’s first-string D did hold the Bengals to a field-goal attempt (which Cincinnati kicker Dave Raymer missed) and prevented a fourth-down conversion, but the Denver defense must show it can hold teams to three-and-outs more often.

Additionally, the Broncos defense will need to prove it can get the pass rush going. While it may be a bit much to expect the first-team defense to rack up the sacks on just two series of play, the absence of linebacker Elvis Dumervil means other players must show they can do more than just pressure the quarterback, but get results with a sack. All eyes will continue to be on second-year linebacker Robert Ayers, who must prove he is worthy of that first-round draft pick the Broncos used on him in 2009.

The first-team offense, on the other hand, provided plenty of cause for optimism. Quarterback Kyle Orton looked more comfortable running the offense, showed better mobility and, for the most part, made good decisions. On the three drives he played, he led the Broncos to touchdowns on two of them.

The flipside of the first-team offense is that the Broncos seldom ran the ball. While head coach Josh McDaniels wanted to see how the Broncos passing attack could fare against the Bengals defense, the Broncos must show they have a running game that can complement that attack. While Knowshon Moreno won’t play Saturday and it’s highly unlikely Correll Buckhalter will see action, it’s possible the Broncos could work veterans Justin Fargas or LenDale White into the game. Still, Saturday’s game will be a good time to put the running attack into action, as the Lions have struggled against the run in recent seasons and the presence of Suh isn’t enough by itself to help.

On special teams, Britton Colquitt looked comfortable as the punter and Perrish Cox did a fine job in the return game, aside from one misplayed punt. A hidden gem might be cornerback Cassius Vaughn, who stepped in as the kickoff returner after Cox left the game with an injury and played well. The key area for the Broncos to improve is the special teams coverage as the unit allowed too many big gains from the Bengals return men.

As far as the rookies went, much of the attention was focused on Tim Tebow, who was solid but has plenty of room for improvement. Perrish Cox and Jamie Kirlew both showed their potential, but the best rookies of the night may very well have been offensive linemen J.D. Walton and Zane Beadles, who both played the entire game and played very well, particularly with the first-team offense. It sure looks like the Broncos found two quality offensive linemen in this year’s draft. Who Bronco fans are still waiting to see in action are wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, who did not play against Cincinnati.

MY PREDICTION: The Lions were the worst team against the pass in 2009, but expect the Broncos to run the ball more as Detroit also struggled in that department last season. The Broncos D, though, will need to rise to the occasion as Jahvid Best looks like he will be an impact player, so it will be important to contain him to keep Detroit’s offense in check. Predicted final score: Broncos 24, Lions 13.

This article was written by ratsportrm, one of our forum members.  We have put together a little contest to help keep the content on the homepage updated this season.  Each week you will see a preview of the upcoming game from one of our forum members.  If you would like to take part, and have a chance to win a Broncos Jersey, sign up!

PRESEASON
1 Sun. Aug. 15 at Cincinnati 7 p.m. EDT KCNC-TV
2 Sat. Aug. 21 vs DETROIT 7 p.m. MDT KCNC-TV
3 Sun. Aug. 29 vs PITTSBURGH  6 p.m. MDT FOX (NTL)
4 Thu. Sept. 2 at Minnesota 7 p.m. CDT KCNC-TV

REGULAR SEASON
1 Sun. Sept. 12 at Jacksonville 1p.m. EDT CBS
2 Sun. Sept. 19 vs SEATTLE 2:05 p.m. MDT FOX
3 Sun. Sept. 26 vs INDIANAPOLIS 2:15 p.m. MDT CBS
4 Sun. Oct. 3 at Tennessee 12 p.m. CDT CBS
5 Sun. Oct. 10 at Baltimore 1 p.m. EDT CBS
6 Sun. Oct. 17 vs N.Y. JETS 2:05 p.m. MDT CBS
7 Sun. Oct. 24 vs OAKLAND 2:15 p.m. MDT CBS
8 Sun. Oct. 31 at San Francisco (London) 5 p.m. GMT CBS
9 BYE
10 Sun. Nov. 14 vs KANSAS CITY 2:05 p.m. MST CBS
11 Mon. Nov. 22 at San Diego 5:30 p.m. PST ESPN (NTL)
12 Sun. Nov. 28 vs ST. LOUIS 2:15 p.m. MST FOX*
13 Sun. Dec. 5 at Kansas City 12 p.m. CST CBS*
14 Sun. Dec. 12 at Arizona 2:15 p.m. MST CBS*
15 Sun. Dec. 19 at Oakland 1:15 p.m. PST CBS*
16 Sun. Dec. 26 vs HOUSTON 2:05 p.m. MST CBS*
17 Sun. Jan. 2 vs SAN DIEGO 2:15 p.m. MST CBS*

The Cincinnati Bengals rank high on the list of “The Most Cursed” franchises in the NFL. Last year, the team rallied around adversity following the deaths of Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer’s wife followed by Chris “Slim” Henry’s tragic fall from a moving truck. The Bengals dominated the AFC North finishing a perfect 6-0 before they petered out in the final weeks of the season losing in blowout fashion to the same team that would crush their playoff hopes a week later (New York Jets).

The story this offseason has been, of course, the signing of diva wideout Terrell Owens to pair with fellow reality TV fan, Chad Estaban Ochocinco. In truth, this pair of comic misfits serves as a huge threat to any defensive gameplan as they take away focus from a very potent running game featuring bruising back and barroom brawler, Cedric Benson. Bernard Scott’s breakaway speed in relief of Benson cannot be overlooked as his 119 rushing yards in Week 11 against Oakland was more than any Broncos back’s single game total from the 2009 Season. A pair of early round receivers in TE Jermaine Gresham and WR Jordan Shipley further expands the potent passing attack that also added Antonio Bryant during the offseason. The Palmer Brothers and J.T. O’Sullivan should have no problem finding a target provided that the offensive line continues to show improvement in the pass protection department as they did last year.

With so much focus on the offensive side of the ball, it’s easy to forget that Coach Marvin Lewis is a defensive minded coach. While the defense is no stranger to either reality TV (Dhani Travels the Globe) or run-ins with the law (Rey Maualuga’s DUI), they don’t really live in the Cincinnati limelight. They deserve huge credit for the teams’ two playoff appearances this decade though. Expect a healthy Antwan Odom to press the suspect Broncos O-Line and runstuffers Domata Peko and Tank Johnson to cause problems for the ailing ground game. Despite Rey Rey’s off-field woes, he combines well with USC alumnus Keith Rivers in one of the AFC North’s best linebacking corps. Things don’t really get any easier for the Broncos in the secondary with a pair of potential pro-bowlers lining up at corner (Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall). While visions of Stokley may dance through their heads, this team isn’t likely to give up many big plays. That’s okay though as the Broncos will likely be content to grind away with screens and short runs in a game more about evaluation than game-planning.

The debut of Rex Ryan disciple, Wink Martindale, as the Broncos’ new defensive coordinator should be the biggest story of this game for the Broncos. Unfortunately, it’s still Josh McDaniels who’s hogging up the national media’s intense concentration on the most important facet of football, C-O-A-C-H-I-N-G. In all seriousness, coaching headlines will likely to be big for this team all season with the only headline worthy (at least from a national media perspective) offensive star being a little used third string QB. Sure, all of Broncos Country is waiting breathlessly for the first Wild Horses play to be called, but there’s a lot more talent to be evaluated on this team in the pre-season.

Will Demaryius Thomas make us forget about the other #15?

Is “plays with a mean streak” enough to win a starting job on the O-line?

Did we really grab a sleeper with Eric Decker?

Can you have a sophomore slump if your rookie year wasn’t much to talk about? I’m looking at you, Knowshon (and Robert for that matter)….

Injury questions were pushed to the forefront during training camp with players being carted off the practice field seemingly every day. Moreno and Correll Buckhalter were the first to fall on Day One though these injuries don’t sound too serious all-in-all. Kenny McKinley and Josh Barrett looked poised to make bigger contributions this season before they took spots on the IR list. Elvis Dumervil’s boobie boo-boo is the toughest injury to swallow as he’s slated to be out most of the season. As the only known threat in the Broncos pass-rush, all eyes should be on Robert Ayers to step up and push the pocket. QB protection hasn’t been one of the Bengals strong suits over the past several years and it wasn’t last week in the Hall of Fame Game with the Dallas Cowboys. If the Broncos fail to get pressure against this O-Line, then it’s going to be a very long season.

Kyle Orton has a prime opportunity to shed his many critics this season starting on Sunday. Going 16 for 27 against the Bengals was a huge improvement over his 5 INT performance with the Bears during his previous visit to the Queen City. It was, of course, heavily over-shadowed by what Brandon Stokley did on passing attempt #28. “Game manager” might sound like a description well suited for one’s first job in high school, but it’s what this team needs to quietly compensate for a lack of big name talent on offense. Orton’s second year in McDaniel’s system is widely expected to be his last, but he has the time and talent to prove otherwise.

As mentioned above, the Broncos offensive line has a lot to prove right out of the gate. With Ryan Clady out to start the season, the team will be forced to turn to some of the young talent acquired over the last two drafts. The Olsen Twins (not the 92-lb ones, not related for that matter…Eric and Seth) should see a lot of action early on as should rookies, J.D. Walton and Zane Beadles. The Bengals have a very athletic defensive line including two standout performers from last week (DE Michael Johnson and DT Geno Atkins). They’ll be looking to get a lot of pressure on the Broncos inexperienced O-Line.

Predicting the outcome of a Pre-Season game is just as meaningless as the game itself, but here are a few bold, rectum-sourced thoughts for the prognostication files:

• Andre Goodman continues to quietly perform opposite Champ and manages to pick off Carson Palmer on the first drive.

• Kyle Orton looks very sharp on his first drive of the year taking the team inside the redzone before a Demaryius Thomas fumble after his first catch returns the ball to Cincy.

• Jamal Williams looks legitimate shoving the Bengals O-Line around and drawing double teams. The loss of Doom may not be so bad with 3 sacks generated by the starting defense.

• TO and Ochocinco combine for 3 catches for 17 yards. Estaban begs to kick a field goal, but settles for more sideline airtime during a 14 minute interview with the Unambiguously Straight Duo.

• Tim Tebow’s first play has him line up under center where he takes the snap without issue but fails to complete a quick out to Decker. His second play finds him breaking the pocket for a 6-yd scramble where he learns why this isn’t a good idea against the Bengals solid linebacking corps. Third down has Tebow split out wide and drawing attention on an end-around motion out of the Wild Horses formation though the 3-yard rush by Lance Ball fails to convert. Two straight three-and-out possessions show that Tebow’s greatest contribution may be pumping up the crowd this season. A little more Mile High Thunder is never a bad thing though.

• Brady Quinn performs well going 10-16 for 129 yards though he plays against the second and third team defenses. He pairs nicely with Decker who does a great job showing off the hands for which he was drafted on a couple great grabs in traffic.

• Syd’Quan Thompson picks off Jordan Palmer for six to end the game.

• No injuries for the Broncos!!

Oh, and the score…

Prediction: Bengals 28-17

A pre-season loss without any injuries isn’t a loss per say. Mediocre performances from many of the team’s would-be stars could start the team off on a down note, but hopefully some pleasant surprises will be realized as well on Sunday.

This article was written by HittinAgenda, one of our forum members.  We have put together a little contest to help keep the content on the homepage updated this season.  Each week you will see a preview of the upcoming game from one of our forum members.  If you would like to take part, and have a chance to win a Broncos Jersey, sign up!