So, the Minnesota Vikings are re-thinking some things after back-to-back losses.
After a nonsensical loss at home to the Chicago Bears, of all people, on “ABC’s Monday Night Football,” (Bears outlast Vikings 12-10 on 4th field goal by Santos after 4 interceptions of Dobbs) Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has decided he’s not certain that quarterback Joshua Dobbs will be his starter when the Vikings return from this week’s open date, or bye (Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell to evaluate Josh Dobbs, path forward at QB).
“We’re going to take a look and really evaluate the inventory of plays we have of Josh,” O’Connell said. “We got healthy. We got Jaren back available to us, and then Nick Mullens is available as well.”
Yes, before we go on, I do know that Dobbs threw four picks against the Bears and was pretty much their MVP in the 12-10 loss Monday night. (It probably didn’t help that all of the TFB staff picked Minnesota to win this game – any time we pick a team unanimously in our NFL picks, it seems like they’re in trouble).
But keep in mind this is a franchise that started the season in horrible fashion, losing four of their first five. Even then, in all that, their only win (of course) was the lowly Carolina Panthers (owner David Tepper just slapped his own face as I said that).
Then, somehow, some way, largely due to injuries on the San Francisco 49ers’ part and a brain spasm, I guess, they were able to beat the 49ers, 22-17, and that sparked a hot streak in spite of the fact that they actually lost starting quarterback Kirk Cousins for the season to a torn Achilles.
They traded for Dobbs, and he’s been not great, not Dan Marino, but solid. Yes, could he have played better the last few games, of course. He went 20-of-32 for 221 yards, a touchdown and a pick in a loss to Denver, and there was Monday night’s disaster.
But consider they traded for Dobbs in the first place. So their quarterback room looks like this: Dobbs, Jaren Hall, a rookie from BYU; and former 49er Nick Mullens, now a bit well-traveled. Mullens was the No. 2 quarterback Monday night, and Hall couldn’t go in, according to NFL regulations, unless both Dobbs and Mullens were hurt.
But as far as their next game, if the depth chart is shuffled, of that group, who gives you the best chance to win?
Apparently, O’Connell almost pulled Dobbs Monday night.
“We definitely had started to get to the point where I was just trying to think, almost, what would give us a spark,” he said, but then Dobbs kept competing, so he left him in the game.
After the interceptions, it would have been understandable.
And obviously, we don’t see practice.
But if the answer was already in the building, why trade for Dobbs to begin with?
I’ll be here, waiting on your comments, if you want to debate this below. Fire away.
