The Minnesota Vikings were looking for something cleaner than clean in their preseason finale. Instead, Friday night at Mile High turned into a mess from the start, and it stayed that way all the way to a 34-6 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Denver set the tone immediately. Will Lutz drilled a 43-yard field goal on the opening possession, and the Vikings were already dealing with a setback when undrafted free agent safety Jacob Thomas, who had been making a strong impression this preseason, injured his ankle on a third-down play and had to be helped off the field.
Minnesota’s offense, with Carson Wentz starting because J.J. McCarthy was out with an ankle injury, went nowhere on its first series.
Brett Thorson answered with a booming 54-yard punt that went out of bounds at the 12, but the Broncos came right back and moved 88 yards for the first touchdown of the night. Jarrett Stidham led the drive, and Adam Prentice finished it with a 1-yard scoring run to make it 10-0 late in the first quarter.
The Vikings did manage a first down on their next possession and crossed midfield, but the drive stalled when Wentz’s pass to Gavin Bartholomew came up short on third down. That sent Minnesota back to the sideline to start the second quarter.
Denver then handed the quarterback duties to Sam Ehlinger, and the Vikings finally got a break. Safety Khalef Hailassie jumped a throw intended for Dane Key and came down with the interception, giving Minnesota the ball in Broncos territory.
With Max Brosmer now at quarterback, the Vikings cashed in for three points on Will Reichard’s 46-yard field goal. Minnesota had briefly appeared to convert on third down before an illegal formation penalty erased it and pushed the drive toward the kick.
The Broncos answered with another Lutz field goal, this one from 37 yards, to restore a 13-3 lead. Minnesota’s next possession started in good shape after a touchback, and Brosmer guided what might have been the Vikings’ sharpest drive of the preseason. The series carried all the way into goal-to-go territory before Brosmer threw away three straight passes, leaving Reichard to settle for a 28-yard field goal and a 13-6 score with 1:30 left in the half.
Ehlinger wasted little time punishing Minnesota before the break. Denver moved quickly downfield, and Ehlinger hit Jaleel McLaughlin on a 20-yard catch-and-run for the Broncos’ second touchdown, sending Denver into halftime up 20-6.
Any hope of a second-half reset vanished fast. Minnesota opened with a three-and-out, and a third-down conversion was wiped out by another penalty.
Denver went three-and-out on its first possession of the half, but the Vikings couldn’t take advantage. They moved to midfield and punted again.
Later, a third-down stop by Minnesota disappeared because of a hands to the face penalty on 3rd-and-13, and Denver kept grinding. That drive lasted 17 plays and covered 85 yards before Ehlinger finished it with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cody Schrader on 4th-and-2, pushing the Broncos ahead 27-6 early in the fourth quarter.
Minnesota answered with another long march of its own, reaching the Denver 6-yard line and facing fourth-and-goal. The Vikings chose to go for it, but Brosmer’s quick throw to Jermar Jefferson was snuffed out immediately for a turnover on downs.
The night ended with one more blow. Ehlinger launched an 88-yard touchdown pass to tight end Justin Joly, who caught it with no purple jersey anywhere near him and cruised the rest of the way to the end zone. The extra point made it 34-6 with a little more than eight minutes left.
After that, there was nothing left to salvage. The Vikings now turn to the roster cuts that will trim the team to 53 players, and their next game will be the regular season opener on 13 September against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium.
In Other News...
Vikings May Have A Rising Defensive Piece Brian Flores Can Use Everywhere
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins arrived in Minnesota as a 2025 fifth-round pick with the kind of profile teams like to develop in-house: modest rookie production, but enough traits to keep the coaching staff interested. What has stood out this summer is the way he can move around the defensive front, giving Brian Flores another lineman who does not have to be tied to one spot and can be used in different looks as the Vikings sort through their rotation.
The next step is less about reputation and more about refinement, because the Vikings still need more from him in both pass-rush technique and run defense before the role truly opens up. Ingram-Dawkins has been building confidence in training camp as his responsibilities have grown, and how quickly he turns that into steady, game-ready consistency will go a long way in deciding how big a piece he becomes in Minnesotas defense. [Read more 🡒]
Danielle Hunters Rise Is A Painful Reminder For Vikings Fans
Danielle Hunters path from a third-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft to one of the leagues most productive pass rushers has become one of the clearest reminders of what the Vikings once had. Over eight seasons in Minnesota, he piled up 87.5 sacks, good for third on the franchises official list, and the arc of his career now looks even more striking when measured against where he started: a modest college rsum, then a steady climb into rare company.
For Vikings fans, the sting is not just that Hunter left, but that his success has continued in Houston after injury concerns and contract talks helped close the door in Minnesota. His trajectory has only strengthened the case that he belongs in the conversation with the best defensive players the franchise has developed, while also inviting the harder question about how the Vikings handled a homegrown star who might have been headed for a very different ending in purple. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Suddenly Have A Receiver Battle Fans Need To Watch
Training camp has started to clarify the Vikings wide receiver picture, and not just at the top of the depth chart. Behind Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings, the group has gotten a noticeable boost from Tai Felton and Myles Price, two players who have made more of an impression than many expected this early in camp.
Felton, a third-round pick, has shown the kind of progress Minnesota hoped to see, while Price, best known as a return specialist, has found ways to contribute more than just on special teams. The result is a deeper, more competitive receiver room than the Vikings had at the outset, and it could give quarterback Kyler Murray a better set of options as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]