Vikings’ Josh Dobbs Recounts the Kareem Jackson Hit
Matthew Davis
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Before quarterback Josh Dobbs turned the ball over for the first time on Sunday night, he took a direct hit to the face mask that had many calling for a flag and more.
Dobbs sustained a shot from the crown of Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson’s helmet before a fumble in the first quarter of the Vikings’ 21-20 loss on Sunday. Jackson had just returned from a 2-game suspension due to his hitting technique, but no penalty went to Jackson for his helmet-to-face mask hit on Sunday.
The QB didn’t want to jump to conclusions afterward when he talked with the media. Dobbs took two sacks and dealt with pressure often.
“I haven’t had a chance to watch it,” Dobbs said about Jackson’s hit. “That’s something I’ll check out. I’ve got to take care of the football. Third-and-1, I’m trying to make a play, get the first down, keep us on the field, move the sticks. I’ll let the coaches and everyone else figure that stuff out with officiating. But at the end of the day, I’ve got to take care of the football in that situation, especially to start the game.”
Dobbs’ fumble led to a Broncos field goal and a 3-0 deficit after the first two drives of the game. He said that he “felt fine” following play and stayed in the game after a concussion check, and Dobbs finished with 221 yards and one TD versus one interception plus 21 yards rushing and one TD.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell acknowledged he “felt like” the Jackson hit to Dobbs should have drawn a flag. However, O’Connell didn’t want to draw a definitive conclusion when he talked to the media.
“I’ll have to go back and look at it. It tends to happen pretty fast out there, but in the moment, coming from the second level the way he did, it seemed like a pretty direct helmet-to-helmet type hit. But I’m sure [officials] saw it differently on the play. They’re officiating a fast play right there,” O’Connell said.
Kareem Jackson Minimizes Hit, NFL Expert Sees Differently
As for Jackson himself, he acknowledged that he might want to change how he plays but stood by his instinctive approach. Jackson has received four unnecessary roughness fines this season.
“I guess so,’’ Jackson via the Denver Gazette. “I mean, for me as a player, as an instinctive player, I’m going to always be in those [bang-bang tackling] situations because my preparation and my instincts are going to put me in those situations.”
Former NFL referee and NBC NFL rules expert Terry McAulay sees the non-call against Jackson as a mistake. He called it out during the Sunday Night Football broadcast.
“He lowers his head and makes forcible contact to the opponent,” McAulay said. “You see, his head is down. This should have been a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness.”
Jackson stayed in the game as he finished with six tackles.
Josh Dobbs Impressed Sean Payton
Dobbs couldn’t rally the Vikings in the end against a tough Broncos pass rush, but he won the respect of Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
“Considering what he’s been through, where the year began . . . with Cleveland and then it was Arizona, and what he’s doing now,” Payton told reporters on Sunday, “there’s so much that goes into playing that position, and to see the poise he’s playing with is really remarkable. I haven’t seen anything like it.”
The former fourth-round NFL Draft pick bounced around the league from 2017 to this year. He finally took on a consistent starting role this season with the Arizona Cardinals when Kyler Murray went down before the team traded him to the Vikings where he is hoping to lead the team to the playoffs.
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