Former QB Makes Bold Prediction for Vikings Week 14 Starter
The Minnesota Vikings have three options at QB1 after the team’s bye week, vacillating between Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and rookie Jaren Hall.
Dobbs was the starter the last few weeks but was beset by a gruesome performance on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears, creating four interceptions and causing the Vikings to lose 12-10.
Former QB Makes Bold Prediction for Vikings Week 14 Starter
“I think the quarterback position needs to be evaluated to see what gives us the best chance to win. I don’t think there’s any particular timeline,” Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters Tuesday about his thought process after the loss to Chicago.
And according to former NFL quarterback and current NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms, Minnesota is likely to roll with Nick Mullens, the club’s QB2 at the start of the season.
Simms said this week, “The way Kevin O’Connell is saying that, to me, totally points to Nick Mullens is going to be the starting quarterback if he’s totally healthy and ready to go here after the bye week. What he’s trying to say is, ‘Nick Mullens knows the offense.'”
Mullens last started a game in 2021 as a member of the Cleveland Browns, and teams led by him are 5-12 (.294) since the start of 2018.
“It’s like having a lesser Kirk Cousins out there. I feel like that’s what people think of Nick Mullens when you hear him described. He’s going to know all the checks. He can handle all the offense. He’s a solid thrower of the football. There’s no wow arm, but he controls it well. And all those signs point to: let’s put him in with Justin Jefferson because we know he can dish and deliver the ball better than Josh Dobbs,” Simms added.
When Week 1 kicked off in September, Mullens would’ve taken the baton if something happened to Cousins against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the following week at the Philadelphia Eagles. There was no mystery about this. The Vikings wanted Mullens as QB2 as the original plan.
Yet, the 28-year-old was beset by a back injury and hit injured reserve like Justin Jefferson, Marcus Davenport, Jordan Hicks, etc.
Then, rookie Jaren Hall was the next man up, and Dobbs arrived for depth via trade. Because of the rollercoaster developments in the last two months, Mullens feels like an outsider to play QB1, and that really shouldn’t be the case at all. In fact, he should have the strongest argument for QB2 of all three men (himself, Dobbs, Hall).
Plus, Mullens can fling it. He isn’t as accurate as Cousins — few are — but his toolkit is living in the pocket while delivering dimes to players like Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and Jordan Addison. That’s what he does. Minnesota entered this season with a gameplan scripted around a pocket passer in Cousins. Mullens is diet Cousins.
The Vikings won’t necessarily rush to a decision on QB1 during the bye week, and fans can expect to learn the man’s identity sometime next week.
Perhaps Simms will nail this one.
End the Jordan Addison Drought
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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