Vikings Inch Closer to Starting QB Decision
It’s the question that’s been on every Vikings fan’s mind since the conclusion of Week 12’s Monday Night Football loss against the Chicago Bears.
Who exactly will be the starting quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings when they take the field on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, and presumably for the remainder of the regular season? Kevin O’Connell had a chance to commit to Josh Dobbs following the loss, but instead, he left the topic open-ended going into the bye.
“We’re going to take a look. Really evaluate inventory of plays now we have of Josh,” O’Connell told reporters after the game. “We got healthy. We got Jaren [Hall] back available to us, and then Nick Mullens is available as well.”
Vikings Inch Closer to Starting QB Decision
On Tuesday afternoon, we got a little bit closer to an answer to this question. At the very least, we now know that the team will announce their starting QB for Week 14 on Wednesday. Wes Phillips, the Vikings’ offensive coordinator, told reporters during his media availability this afternoon that the decision would be made when the formal practice week begins tomorrow.
The past four weeks has largely been the Josh Dobbs show for the Vikings, which has come with mixed results. Just days after being acquired from the Arizona Cardinals, he dazzled fans with some mind-boggling scrambles and terrific clutch throws against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9. Then, he totaled some of the best passing numbers of his career against the New Orleans Saints in Week 10.
Since then, though, Minnesota’s offense has screeched to a halt. Dobbs has turned the ball over six times during the past two games against the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears while the Vikings have only totaled 30 points in these recent losses.
The Vikings could run it back with Dobbs one more time and give him a shot at redemption, but they also have other options waiting in the wings.
Of course, there’s the rookie, Jaren Hall, who started that game against the Falcons before a concussion forced Dobbs to come in for the remainder of the afternoon. Minnesota’s 2023 fifth-round pick showed some promise in training camp, preseason, and that first start.
If the Vikings want to truly get to know what they have in their rookie QB, perhaps it’s time to get him back in the lineup especially with Justin Jefferson coming back.
There is also Nick Mullens, who arguably could have been Minnesota’s immediate starting choice when Kirk Cousins got hurt had he been healthy. Instead, Mullens had to miss an extensive period of time with a back injury, thus forcing the Vikings to trade for Dobbs and initially start Hall in Week 9.
A positive in starting Mullens would be that he has a very similar QB archetype to Cousins. He is largely a pocket passer with a strong arm and is capable of pushing the ball downfield. Mullens has started 17 games in the NFL and has averaged 267.8 passing yards per game in those starts. With the weapons in Minnesota’s offense, Mullens could thrive due to his gunslinger mentality.
Overall, this is a truly fascinating decision that the Vikings will make in the next 24 hours, and it could prove to make-or-break their season. At 6-6, Minnesota holds the No. 6 seed in the NFC but have the same record as four other teams in the conference, including the surging Green Bay Packers.
We’ll soon know who the Vikings will roll into Week 14 with at the QB spot, and then, they will take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, December 10th. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 PM Central in the Sin City.
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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.