The Vikings Have Made Their QB Decision for Week 15
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings have been in an off-and-on QB controversy ever since Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon in Week 8.
The team acquired Josh Dobbs at the trade deadline, and after Jaren Hall suffered a concussion in Week 9 against the Falcons, he has been the starter for the past four games in Minnesota. However, Dobbs was the latest QB to be replaced last weekend when the Vikings offense could not generate any points against the Las Vegas Raiders through 58 minutes of game time.
Nick Mullens became the fourth QB to come into a game for the Vikings this season, and now, the veteran backup is set to become the latest starter for Minnesota as they prepare to play the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15.
The Vikings Have Made Their QB Decision for Week 15
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network initially reported the decision, tweeting, “The #Vikings are making a QB change: Nick Mullens will replace Joshua Dobbs as the starter Saturday at Cincinnati, sources tell me and @RapSheet. Mullens has 17 NFL starts, knows the system and is fully healthy after an IR stint in October. Now he takes over in a playoff race.”
The Vikings themselves confirmed the report shortly after with a tweet of their own, which read, “Nick Mullens will start Saturday in Cincinnati.”
It could be argued that, had Mullens been healthy in Week 9, he would have been Minnesota’s choice as the backup QB to begin with. However, he was dealing with a back injury going back to Week 5 and still remained on IR going into that game against the Falcons.
Thus, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made the decision to trade for Dobbs, and the Vikings enjoyed a magical couple weeks with him at QB.
However, things have certainly gone downhill over the past three weeks. Minnesota has mustered just 33 total points over their past three games, and a change needed to be made ahead of this final push for the playoffs.
Mullens offers similar skills to Cousins as a QB who lives in the pocket and isn’t much of a scrambler. He is a gunslinger at the position, and while that means he is certainly liable for some bad interceptions, it also means he isn’t afraid to push the ball downfield.
With all the talented pass-catchers in the Vikings offense, they need a QB who can deliver accurate passes to them and allow them to make plays.
Hopefully, Mullens is able to do that as Minnesota prepares for a Week 15 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, which kicks off at 12 PM Central on Saturday, December 16th.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.