DENVER — The Vikings preseason wrapped Friday night with Carson Wentz starting at quarterback and playing two series before handing the reins of Minnesota's offense to Max Brosmer.

Minnesota Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and Denver Head Coach Sean Payton opted to rest starters on both sides of the ball in the 34-6 Broncos win.

O'Connell had hoped J.J. McCarthy was able to recover from an ankle injury suffered on a hit the previous week against the Baltimore Ravens. McCarthy was limited in practice early in the week and did not participate at all Wednesday in a practice that had more of a scrimmage format.

Wentz finished 3-for-4 passing with 15 yards and a passer rating of 80.2. His longest completion was a gain of 6 to tight end Gavin Bartholomew.

Brosmer opened by hitting his first few short completions and drove the Vikings 55-yards into the red zone late in the second quarter before the drive stalled in the red zone. Will Reichard booted a 28-yard field goal to cap the drive that lasted 4:00.

The only problem was Denver stormed right back by driving 65 yards in just 1:08 thanks to Sam Ehlinger going 4-for-5 and accounting for all 65 yards through the air. Jaleel McLaughlin capped the drive with a 20-yard catch-and-run touchdown, securing the grab on the right side and showing his speed as he zoomed to the left.

Brosmer finished 20-of-35 passing with 166 yards and a passer rating of 69.5

Ehlinger finished 15-for-20 with 233 yards and three scores. His passer rating was 131.9.

Here are four more observations.

1. Two Jacobs Leave with injuries

Undrafted rookie Jacob Thomas had really been making the most of his opportunities and started on Friday along with third-round pick Jakobe Thomas, who made his pro debut after missing Minnesota's first two preseason contests because of back tightness.

Jacob Thomas unfortunately suffered an injury while defending a pass on the seventh play of the game. He was slow to get up after landing out of bounds.

It was a tough end to a preseason that had started with such promise for Thomas, who recorded an interception at New York in his NFL debut.

Jacob Thomas was replaced by Kahlef Hailassie, who recorded an interception in the second quarter to set up Minnesota's first score.

Linebacker Jacob Roberts, who had recorded Minnesota's other interception against the Giants, also left the game with an injury.

2. Punter comparison

One of the battles that hadn't yielded much indication is at punter where veteran Johnny Hekker and undrafted rookie Brett Thorson.

It likely wasn't going to be decided by Friday's action alone, which is good because the stats were about as even as possible.

Thorson punted three times for 156 yards for an average of 52.0 and with a long of 58.

Hekker? Three punts for 156 yards and an average of 52.0 with a long of 57.

Times inside the 20-yard line? Twice each for both players.

3. Long drives and long plays allowed

Ehlinger enjoyed a fourth quarter for the ages. He was able to orchestrate a 17-play 85 yard drive that lasted 9:58 and concluded with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cody Schrader on fourth-and-2 with 13:04 remaining.

Ehlinger also capitalized on a busted coverage that left rookie tight end Justin Joly completely uncovered in the middle of the field. Joly was able to catch it and run for an 88-yard score to cap a 93-yard drive that lasted just three plays and 1:39.

The Broncos racked up 412 yards by going 7-for-14 on third downs and averaged 6.4 yards per play. Denver went 2-for-3 on fourth downs.

Minnesota was unable to push the ball down the field much and finished with 270 yards. The Vikings went 3-for-13 on third downs and averaged 4.7 yards per play.

Denver won time of possession 33:57 to 26:03.

4. Red zone misfires

The Vikings concluded the season with just one touchdown across three games (a fade from Wentz to Myles Price at New York).

Minnesota went 0-for-2 on trips inside Denver's 20-yard line.

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