Head coach Kevin O’Connell anticipates a busy bye week with the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings will continue the season in Las Vegas one week from Sunday, and O’Connell will be selecting his starting quarterback during the players’ week off.
While Joshua Dobbs was a terrific story in his first two games with the Vikings, he has committed six turnovers in the last two games. Starter Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 8 against Green Bay. In the team’s loss to Denver on Monday night, Dobbs threw four interceptions in addition to a fumble and an interception.
During his press conference on Tuesday, O’Connell did not guarantee that Dobbs will remain the starting quarterback following that game. Who will start for the Raiders
Nick Mullens, acquired by the Vikings to be Kirk Cousins’ backup before the 2022 season, likely would have become the starter when Cousins got hurt in October but he had been placed on injured reserve earlier in the month.
Mullens, 28, was activated from IR in the middle of November and was the No. 2 quarterback for the past two games. The thought of Mullens starting won’t excite many, but O’Connell might be more comfortable with the veteran under center than Dobbs or Jaren Hall, who was a fifth-round pick in the draft last spring.
O’Connell wants a quarterback who can run his system and limit mistakes. The fact Mullens has two years of familiarity with this system also helps.
When Kirk Cousins was hurt in October, Nick Mullens, who the Vikings signed to serve as his backup before the 2022 season, probably would have taken over as the starting, but he had already been placed on injured reserve earlier in the month.
The 28-year-old Mullens was the starting backup quarterback for the last two games after being activated from injured reserve in mid-November. Few people will be thrilled with Mullens starting, but O’Connell might feel more at ease having the seasoned player in the middle rather than Dobbs or Jaren Hall, the draft’s fifth-round selection from the previous spring.
QBs that can manage his system and minimize errors are what O’Connell is looking for. It also helps that Mullens has been using this approach for two years
Mullens was signed by San Francisco in 2017 as an undrafted free agent from Southern Mississippi (yes, the same school as Brett Favre), and has made 17 starts and 24 career appearances with the 49ers and Browns. He has completed 65.3 percent of his passes with 27 touchdowns and 24 interceptions in those 24 games.
Mullens isn’t a running threat — he has lost 3 yards on 34 rushing attempts — but O’Connell is more concerned with having a quarterback who can consistently be on the same page as his receivers.
O’Connell also wants to protect the ball but that’s not a given with Mullens. In addition to his interception total, Mullens also has lost four of eight career fumbles.
Mullens, who attended Southern Mississippi (yep, the same university as Brett Favre) as an undrafted free agent, was signed by San Francisco in 2017. He has played for the 49ers and Browns for 24 games, with 17 starts. In those 24 games, he has completed 65.3% of his throws for 27 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
Although Mullens has lost 3 yards on 34 attempts to gain yards, he is not a strong running threat, and O’Connell is more interested in a quarterback who can consistently stay in sync with his receivers.
O’Connell likewise desires to keep the ball safe, but Mullens makes that difficult. In addition to his record of interceptions, Mullens has fumbled four times in his career.
Given that O’Connell has acknowledged that he wants to play the quarterback who will have the most success with Pro Bowl wide receiver Justin Jefferson—who is expected to make a comeback from a hamstring injury that cost him seven games—we’re giving Mullens the advantage because of his familiarity with the system and the fact that he has spent the most time in the Vikings’ system.
