Aaron Rodgers passed his first test as the Green Bay Packers' new quarterback, throwing for 178 yards and a touchdown and scoring on a game-clinching sneak in a 24-19 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday. Rodgers got help from the Packers' special teams, running back Ryan Grant and safety Atari Bigby to beat a bitter division rival in his first regular-season start, which came in the wake of Brett Favre's offseason abort his retirement. Will Blackmon's 76-yard punt return gave Green Bay a 17-6 lead going into the fourth quarter. Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson answered with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Sidney Rice on fourth-and-1 to cut the Packers' lead to five with 14:12 remaining. But a 2-point conversion attempt failed when Jackson threw a pass slightly behind Rice in the back of the end zone. Grant then broke free for a 57-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, giving the Packers (1-0) first-and-goal at the 2. After a penalty against the Vikings (0-1), Rodgers was stuffed on his first attempt at a quarterback sneak but plunged into the end zone on the second try. He emphatically spiked the ball, then jumped into the stands for a “Lambeau Leap” as Green Bay took a 24-12 lead with 6:03 remaining. Jackson then led the Vikings on an 11-play drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by Adrian Peterson, cutting the Packers' lead to 24-19 with 2:39 remaining. An onside kick attempt by Ryan Longwell bounced out of bounds, giving the ball back to the Packers at their own 39. But the Packers had to punt, giving the ball back to Minnesota at its own 31 with 1:51 remaining. But with the Vikings driving near midfield with under a minute remaining, Bigby stepped in front of Jackson's pass for an interception to put the game away. Broncos 41, Raiders 14: At Oakland, California, Jay Cutler threw for 300 yards with long touchdown passes to rookie Eddie Royal and Darrell Jackson that helped Denver beat up on their American Football Conference West rivals in a victory over Oakland. Cutler completed 16 of 24 passes and confidently picked apart Oakland's rebuilt defense in a dominating season-opening performance despite missing suspended big-play receiver Brandon Marshall. The Raiders lost their sixth straight season opener and only avoided their third straight shutout on Monday Night Football when JaMarcus Russell threw two meaningless fourth-quarter touchdown passes. Royal, a second-round draft pick out of Virginia Tech, caught nine passes for 146 yards. Brady to have surgery New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will require surgery on his injured left knee and will miss the remainder of the NFL season, the team said on Monday. Brady, the reigning National Foootball League Most Valuable Player, was hurt in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, the first full Sunday of the 2008 season. The Patriots did not announce a diagnosis of Brady's injury, but officially ended his season by placing him in injured reserve after seeing the results of an MRI exam. “After extensive tests, it was revealed that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's left knee, which was injured in the first quarter of yesterday's game, will require surgery,” the Patriots said in a statement. “He will be placed on injured reserve and will miss the remainder of the 2008 season.” Brady, one of the league's most durable players, was injured when he was struck in the back of the left knee by Kansas City safety Bernard Pollard. He crumpled to the turf, clutching the knee, and after receiving treatment on the field hobbled to the locker room. Multiple media reports said Brady suffered major ligament damage. Last season, Brady set an NFL record by throwing 50 touchdown passes in leading New England to a perfect 16-0 regular
