Josh Dobbs’ mania will be alive and well for at least another week in Minnesota. After replacing the injured Jaren Hall and leading the Vikings to a victory in Atlanta last Sunday, Dobbs got the start on Sunday in a 27-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium.
It was the Vikings’ fifth consecutive victory and improved their record to 6-4.
Dobbs was tremendous in the first half as the Vikings took a 24-3 lead into halftime and eventually extended the lead to 24 points before the Saints scored the final 16 points of the game.
A look at Dobbs’ day and what his success might mean.
A week of hard work paid off with a big first half
Dobbs wasn’t completely prepared to enter the Falcons game after arriving in a trade the previous Tuesday, but this time he entered with far more of an idea about what coach Kevin O’Connell wanted.
“I’m not paid by the hour, so I have nowhere else to be,” Dobbs said when asked about his long work week. “I did spend a lot of time at the facility. I probably ate almost every meal, every day there. Which is fine. I’m blessed to be in the position I am. I’m grateful for this opportunity.”
Dobbs made the most of it both with his arm and his legs.
The veteran, making his 11th career start and ninth this season, completed 23-of-34 passes for 268 yards with a touchdown and also rushed for 44 yards on eight carries with a touchdown.
Dobbs was especially impressive in the opening half as he completed 18-of-22 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown and led the Vikings with 40 yards on six rushing attempts and a score.
Dobbs’ chemistry with T.J. Hockenson was obvious from the start. Hockenson had been listed as questionable for the game because of a rib injury, but the tight end caught 10 of the 12 passes thrown his way in first two quarters for 128 yards and finished the half with a 28-yard touchdown catch.
While Kirk Cousins was having an outstanding season before he suffered a season-ending Achilles’ injury on Oct. 29 in Green Bay, Dobbs’ ability to run gives opposing defenses more to think about because no play is dead.
“When Josh makes a play, it’s a huge, huge bonus,” O’Connell said. “And what I love is just how all of our guys are finishing those plays. You see when he finds T.J. (for a completion) on that scramble, who did you see down there barreling through the pile? Probably Dalton Risner, if my memory serves me right.
“So, our guys understand it’s whistle to whistle and we might be playing through the echo of it a little bit more on unique things that maybe we didn’t before when we were, you know … not that we didn’t have mobility at the position. Kirk was playing as well as anybody in this league, really ripping apart coverage and attacking things and kind of running everything. Josh, in two starts, has shown us what mobility in addition to what we do offensively can do for us in this tough time where we’re trying to overcome the loss of a guy like Kirk.”
No receiver open, no problem for this quarterback
Dobbs’ most impressive run only went for 7 yards but it resulted in seven points.
The Vikings were leading 10-3 in the second quarter and facing a third-and-6 at the Saints 7-yard line, when Dobbs dropped back to pass. He moved to his right looking for a receiver, realized there was nothing there and spun to his left before taking off for the end zone. He made a move on a Saints defenders before jumping over the pylon for a touchdown.
It was the type of touchdown run Vikings fans haven’t seen from their quarterback in a long time. On the sideline, O’Connell was shaking his head and smiling.
“Huge, huge momentum play made by him,” O’Connell said. “Josh Dobbs didn’t just start doing those things. That has been a part of his game since he has been an NFL quarterback and before that. Our job is to continue to allow him to play the position the way he thrives playing it, while continuing to do our jobs. Which we feel pretty good about schematically helping him, as well.”
Dobbs said he went through his entire progression before taking off and saving the play.
“The O-line, all day, allowed me the opportunity to go through my reads, stay in the pocket,” said Dobbs, who was 1-7 as the Cardinals’ starter this season before being traded. “And then when the opportunity presented itself, to be able to utilize my legs and make plays. I was able to go through my entire progression, work through it, see everything was covered. From there it’s just go make a play. Big play in the game, it’s third down, those are four-point swings. So first to get the first down and get in the end zone was tremendous for us as an offense and a team propelling us through the rest of the second quarter and ultimately winning the game with it.”
Staying aggressive would have been the wise play
So why did the Vikings’ offense slow in the second half?
Dobbs was only 5-for-12 for 48 yards and the Vikings had 91 yards after accumulating 297 in the opening half.
O’Connell took responsibility for the decline. The Vikings went from 22 pass attempts and 15 rushing attempts in the first half to a far more conservative 18 rushes and 12 passes in the second half. That was in part because the Vikings had a significant lead, but the strategy could have backfired.
Especially with how well Dobbs had been playing.
“I’ve got to try to find that balance where I do believe in our guys and I do believe that I can stay aggressive for four quarters with our guys,” O’Connell said. “I’ll continue to work through that to make sure I’m giving them some premium ops. We had some chances there that maybe we didn’t make the play. But there were certainly few that I’d like to have back and knowing the situational management and milking the clock is one thing but staying aggressive is something we’ve got to do, as well.”
Credit to O’Connell for not only accepting responsibility but also explaining himself.
Is Dobbs for real or is this Case Keenum 2.0?
Dobbs has created plenty of excitement with his play, but it’s hard not to compare it to the spark the Vikings got during the 2017 season when backup Case Keenum led the team to the NFC title game after Sam Bradford was lost to injury early in the season.
Dobbs is 28 years old and, like Keenum, qualifies as a journeyman quarterback given his many stops and few opportunities to start. That being said, it’s impossible not to like the guy and his style of play gets fans out of their seats.
Does O’Connell like Dobbs’ tendency to take off when things break down? There were times when he certainly had to improve on Sunday. Of course, the more Dobbs puts on film, the more defenses will be able to prepare for him.
Whether Dobbs is the solution, O’Connell has to be intrigued with what he has seen. No one is questioning Cousins’ ability as a pocket passer, but if the pocket breaks down, Cousins isn’t going to save you with his leg.
There will be plenty of talk in the coming weeks about whether the Vikings will sign Dobbs after the season, but internally you have to think the organization is willing to sit back and watch how this all plays out before making any long-term decisions.
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com.
