Kevin O’Connell’s decision to stick with Josh Dobbs as his starting quarterback during the Minnesota Vikings’ bye week was understandable. Dobbs was coming off a four-interception performance in a loss to the Chicago Bears, but O’Connell felt the veteran journeyman deserved one more shot.
What was baffling was why that opportunity lasted so deep into the Vikings’ beyond-ugly 3-0 victory over the Raiders on Sunday in Las Vegas. Dobbs didn’t turn over the ball — he had six in losses against Denver and Chicago — but he also didn’t give the Vikings a chance to do anything on offense.
He was 5-of-11 for 40 yards and was sacked four times in the opening half. Dobbs’ first pass of the afternoon was intended for Justin Jefferson, playing for the first time in seven games after recovering from a hamstring injury, but a Raiders defensive back had a chance to pick it off.
Dobbs’ 15-yard completion to Jefferson in the second quarter was a high throw that led the Pro Bowl wide receiver into a big hit from safety Marcus Epps. That ended Jefferson’s day and resulted in a serious enough chest injury that he was sent to the hospital for X-rays. Jefferson was allowed to travel home with the Vikings on Sunday evening and his status for Saturday’s game in Cincinnati is uncertain.
Any number of plays Dobbs made or didn’t make in the opening 30 minutes should have led O’Connell to put in veteran backup Nick Mullens for the third quarter. But that didn’t happen. O’Connell had taken some of the blame for Dobbs’ performance against the Bears, admitting his play-calling didn’t utilize Dobbs’ ability to run. But Dobbs only had two rushing attempts for 14 yards in the first half Sunday.
The decision to start Dobbs in the second half left one wondering what O’Connell was trying to prove. Dobbs had been fantastic in relief of Jaren Hall in a Week 9 victory in Atlanta and he played well in a win over New Orleans a week later. The story was even better because Dobbs had stepped in less than a week after being acquired from the Arizona Cardinals.
But there always were going to be questions whether Dobbs could continue to play like that.
The Fox telecast Sunday shed some light on why O’Connell might have stuck with Dobbs, relaying an anecdote about how Dobbs’ previous struggles caused him to be pulled quickly by coaches and how O’Connell wanted to give him a chance. O’Connell’s empathy for Dobbs is commendable on a human level, and it’s understandable considering the two men do have something in common.
O’Connell was a third-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 2008 but played in only two games that season. He also had stints with the Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins but never again played in a regular-season game.
Dobbs, a fourth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017, also has bounced from team to team, although he has far more playing experience (21 games and 14 starts).
The problem is that the Vikings remain part of the NFC playoff picture and O’Connell’s reluctance to lift Dobbs could have cost his team a game. That reluctance ended with 9 minutes, 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter as Mullens trotted onto the field.
“It’s difficult,” O’Connell said of the situation. “I always want to communicate and be honest. I just said, ‘At this point and time, I want to give Nick a chance to get in there.’ Nick has a great feel for our offense and, when I was able to call it for him and kind of communicate with him a little bit, he went out there and executed.”
Dobbs departed having completed 10 of 23 passes for 63 yards with five sacks and a 50.8 passer rating. Mullens, acquired near the end of training camp in 2022 to serve as Kirk Cousins’ backup, appeared for the fifth time in a game with the Vikings and the first time this season.
His first pass wasn’t anything special, it was tipped by Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane, but it ended up in the hands of tight end T.J Hockenson for a 26-yard gain. The Vikings wouldn’t score on that drive, but Mullens got them to the Las Vegas 18-yard line on Minnesota’s following drive to set up a Greg Joseph field goal from 36 yards with 1:57 remaining.
The key completion was a 20-yarder from Mullens to Jordan Addison that put the ball on the Raiders 22. Mullens was far from perfect — he took an inexcusable delay of game penalty coming out of a timeout — but he did enough in three series to enable the Vikings leave Las Vegas with a win.
So what’s next?
The Vikings will have a short week of preparation before playing at Cincinnati and one has to figure this is now Mullens’ job. Tyler Forness of Vikings Wire and Purple Access on SKOR North said last week that he thought O’Connell would start Mullens because of how he wants the offense run. While O’Connell didn’t do that Sunday, he certainly will be expected to now.
“I don’t want to get into declaring anything for next week now,” O’Connell said. “With the type of injuries and the way it’s been on offense this season, we’re a week-to-week offense at this point.”
O’Connell, however, has to know the Vikings will have a better chance to win next weekend with Mullens under center.
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com.
