NFL

Why isn’t Joshua Dobbs playing for the Vikings against the Packers?

As the Vikings head into an absolutely critical game against the Lions in Week 18, they have to decide who the starting quarterback is to give them the best shot to make the postseason.

Ron ChenoyUSA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

Though we all understand the nature of the sport, it can be eye-opening to see how quickly fortunes can change for teams and their players in the NFL. Indeed, the Vikings starting quarterback is likely coming to terms with that right now, as he will have to watch his team fight for a playoff spot without him.

What happened to Joshua Dobbs?

Life as a starting quarterback in the NFL can be brutally short-lived, depending on the results. That’s something that the Minnesota Vikings’ now former starting QB, Josh Dobbs, found out after losing to the Bears and Raiders. Of course, it’s hard not to feel some sympathy for Dobbs, who put on quite a show for the Vikings in his first three games while forming a seemingly prolific partnership with T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison. It was a welcome sight for a team that had just lost its starter, Kirk Cousins, to injury. Indeed, things weren’t going to be so bad after all.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last. In Week 13, Dobbs threw four interceptions against the Bears, and what was supposed to be a routine win for the Vikings turned into a shocking 12-10 loss against an NFC North rival that didn’t even manage to score a touchdown, but instead relied on field goals for victory. Consider for a moment that the Bears have the worst passing defense in the league, one that has conceded 24 touchdowns on the season so far. There was simply no excuse for Dobbs and Co. “We’re going to take a look and really evaluate the inventory of plays we have of Josh,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said postgame. “We got healthy. We got Jaren [Hall] back available to us, and then Nick Mullens is available as well.”

Where did Joshua Dobbs go wrong?

Here’s the thing: Despite O’Connell’s allusion to the idea that changes could be made, the Vikings still went with Dobbs in Week 14. To be fair, they were facing the Las Vegas Raiders, who would be flattered if referred to as a struggling team. Yet, once again, Dobbs and his offense were terrible despite the Vikings’ defense holding Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs to nothing. On the night, Dobbs completed 10-of-23 passes for 63 yards, at which point O’Connell decided he had seen enough and made the change. Mullens stepped in for Dobbs and proceeded to throw 9 of 13 for 83 yards, which was enough to secure the win.

So, who’s in and who’s out?

Well, Dobbs is out. Risking overkill, Dobbs is not performing so the starting QB against the Lions will be Nick Mullens.

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