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For more, check out Broncos blog Mile High Report and Vikings blog Daily Norseman.
Don’t look now, but Tim Tebow is passing the ball. It has the Denver Broncos in a close game against the Minnesota Vikings. Tebow connected with Demaryius Thomas, his fellow first-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, for a 21-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.
That was Thomas’ second touchdown of the season.
The Broncos have been relying on Tebow’s arm more than his legs today. Later in the third quarter he hit Thomas for a 41-yard touchdown to make it a one-point game again. Check out the video of that touchdown here.
Thomas’ second touchdown capped off a series of big plays. Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder found Percy Harvin for a 52-yard strike two plays before that. Here’s the video of Harvin’s touchdown.
On the ensuing kickoff, Denver’s return man Quan Cosby returned the kick 63 yards to give Tebow a short field to work with on the next drive.
A controversial fumble call against Denver is sure to be the subject of much discussion today, and maybe for the rest of the week depending on how this game between the Vikings and Broncos ends. With Minnesota leading by a score of 12-7 with less than a minute to play, Vikings defensive end Jared Allen sacked Tim Tebow at Denver’s 28-yard line.
The ball popped out of Tebow’s hands, and Allen recovered for a one-yard gain, giving the Vikings excellent field position and just enough time to put some more points on the board. However, Tebow’s knee looked to be down before the ball popped out of his hands. Video review upheld the ruling on the field, and Minnesota added a field goal to take a 17-7 lead into the locker room at half time.
Former Vice President of Officiating for the NFL and Fox analyst Mike Pereira, agreed with the call on the field. He said this via Twitter:
Den/Min-the ground can cause a fumble if the runner is not down prior to the ball coming out.Tebows knee was not down when the ball came out
That was Tebow’s first turnover since Week 8.
Here’s the video, make the call youself.
Minnesota Vikings rookie tight end Kyle Rudolph caught his second touchdown pass of the season in the second quarter of today’s game against the Denver Broncos. Rudolph’s fellow rookie, quarterback Christian Ponder, found him in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown. The touchdown itself was not as noticeable as the beautiful catch Rudolph made.
Check out the catch right here.
A Notre Dame product, the Vikings made Rudolph the first tight end taken in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was the 43rd overall pick, taken in the second round, and he looked the part today.
The quarterback change in Minnesota, handing the job over to first-round pick Ponder, has benefited Rudolph of late. That was his second touchdown of the season and his second touchdown in his last three games.
That play gave the Vikings a 12-7 lead over the Denver Broncos, who seem to be using less option in their offense today.
For all the talk about Tim Tebow salvaging the Denver Bronco’s once seemingly lost season, the team’s defense has been a big reason for the turnaround and their hunt for an AFC West title. With rookie pass rusher Von Miller on the sidelines today, it looked fairly bleak for the Bronco’s defense. Then linebacker Mario Haggan made up for it with a masterful pick six on Vikings rookie quarterback Christian Ponder.
Haggan snatched a short pass inside Minnesota’s side of the field and returned it 16 yards for a touchdown. That gave Denver a 7-2 lead, getting back some points from a safety earlier in the game.
Here is the video of Haggan’s interception and the resulting touchdown.
Not only was that Haggan’s first interception of the season, it was the first of his career. Denver added Haggan to their roster in 2008. He miraculously survived the Josh McDaniels’ era.
The Minnesota Vikings got on the board first in their game against the Denver Broncos, with a little help from Denver’s offense. Running back Willis McGahee was tackled for a one-yard loss in the end zone by Vikings’ all-world defensive end Jared Allen, giving the Vikes two points to start the game.
Check out the video of the Allen’s tackle and safety right here.
Denver could be facing a close game today, with rookie pass rusher Von Miller inactive due to injury. Giving up the safety could be the exact kind of thing that comes back to haunt them in a close one. Of course, Minnesota is playing without running back Adrian Peterson, taking away from what might have been the Super Bowl of running teams.
Minnesota leads 2-0 in the first quarter.
Follow all the action for Tim Tebow and the Broncos over at Mile High Report. Follow the Vikings at the Daily Norseman.
The Minnesota Vikings are struggling to win ball games, but they have something to hang their hat on. Rookie quarterback Christian Ponder has flashed play making ability and the ability to be an effective quarterback early on in his limited playing time. The Vikings offense however took a dive without running back Adrian Peterson, who's status is up in the air this week. The once mighty Vikings defense has been giving up nearly 27 points per game and has struggled to stop other teams.
The Denver Broncos led by Tim Tebow however have won four games in a row in dramatic fashion to get themselves back in the playoff race. Tebow has done it with his legs more than his arm, running lots of read-option like he did in college. It's not pretty, but it's getting the job done. The Broncos got back above .500 with their overtime win last week and will look to make a run at the AFC West by adding another win against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Game Date/Time: Sunday, December 4; 1:00pm ET
Location: Mall Of America Field, Minneapolis, MN
TV Schedule
Local: FOX
TV Distribution Map: The506.com
For more on the Vikings head over to The Daily Norseman. For more on the Broncos, check out Mile HIgh Report.
NFL Scores Week 13: Broncos Vs. Vikings, Tim Tebow Does It Again
Tim Tebow led the Denver Broncos to another comeback win, beating the Minnesota Vikings for their fifth consecutive win and sixth out of their last seven games. That streak also happens to coincide with Tim Tebow's tenure as the starting quarterback in Denver. Tebow led the Broncos down the field, and a last minute field goal gave them a 35-32 win.
Denver's defense again came up big, even without rookie pass rusher Von Miller. A Mario Haggan pick six in the first half proved to be essential in the win. Tebow did a fair amount of work with his arm today. His four rushing attempts for 13 yards represent a low since he took over the starting job. Tebow completed 10 of 15 passes for 202 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The primary beneficiary of his passing was Demaryius Thomas who caught four passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
Without Miller to disrupt things, Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder had a solid day of work. He threw for 381 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Percy Harvin caught eight passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns, both worthy of the highlight film.
With an Oakland loss to the Dolphins today, Denver moves into a tie atop the AFC West with a 7-5 record. They host the Chicago Bears next week.
The Vikings will look for their third win of the season against the Detroit Lions next week.
For more on the Broncos, check out Mile High Report. For more on the Vikings, check out the Daily Norseman.
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Dec 04 4:39p by Ryan Van Bibber - 0 comments