When Kirk Cousins went down with a season-ending Achilles tear, Minnesota knew they needed to make a move at QB. Their backup Nick Mullens was on the IR and rookie Jaren Hall suffered a concussion in his first start. Luckily, the Vikings had already traded for Joshua Dobbs to fill in at QB for the rest of 2023.
Dobbs has played in five games for the Vikings this season, going 3-2 overall. In a Week 13 loss to the Bears, the 28-year-old threw four interceptions in a 12-10 loss. He was on a short leash for Week 14 and was benched by Minnesota for backup Nick Mullens. After being benched, it’s safe to question whether Dobbs will start another game for the Vikings in 2023. His magical run may have finally come to an end.
With a 3-0 win in Week 14, the Vikings would still have a playoff spot if the season ended today
Vikings have benched Joshua Dobbs and gets up Nick Mullens on the field.
It’s 0-0 against the Raiders with less than 7 minutes left in the 4th quarter👀🍿pic.twitter.com/lyPEuaWGJL
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 10, 2023
Joshua Dobbs and the Vikings were held scoreless through three-quarters of play in Week 14 vs. the Raiders. He was benched after going just 10-23 passing for 63 yards. Dobbs was also sacked five times by Las Vegas. Head coach Kevin O’Connell knew the team needed a win to stay alive and he had to make a tough decision and bench Dobbs.
Backup QB Nick Mullens entered the game and helped Minnesota get into field goal range when it mattered in the fourth. Earlier in the game, the Vikings were in field goal range with Dobbs but failed to make it. With 1:57 left in the fourth quarter, kicker Greg Joseph hit a 36-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead over the Vikings.
That’ll work, @NickMullens 😅
📺: #MINvsLV on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/pWMED8S30C pic.twitter.com/LifiXflyLe— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2023
Mullens went 9-13 for 83 yards in his fourth-quarter relief appearance for the Vikings in Week 14. It will be interesting to see what direction Minnesota goes moving forward. Will they turn back to Joshua Dobbs or is Nick Mullens their guy for the rest of the 2023 season? The Vikings have a tough decision to make. Minnesota will be on the road in Week 15 to face the Bengals for a primetime Saturday afternoon matchup. Both teams are 7-6 heading into this contest.
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