Ahead of a preseason shortened from four exhibitions to three in the new 17-game regular season format, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said he's still trying to decide how often his starters will play.
This week's joint practices with the Broncos, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday afternoon before Saturday's preseason opener at U.S. Bank Stadium, will help coaches evaluate starters in lieu of a fourth preseason game. Zimmer said the Vikings may treat the second game, Aug. 21 against Indianapolis, like they used to treat the third "dress rehearsal" game when starters played the first half.
"I've thought about it a lot," Zimmer said.