Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell non-committal to Josh Dobbs remaining starter
All the magic surrounding Joshua Dobbs’ arrival in Minnesota could be broken on Monday night.
After Dobbs threw four interceptions in the Vikings’ 12-10 loss to the Chicago Bears, Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell vowed to keep Dobbs in the starting position while also evaluating his position moving forward. “I really appreciate the roster we got from Josh,” O’Connell said when asked if he would consider a quarterback trade.
Dobbs finished Monday’s loss by completing 22 of 32 passes for 185 yards, four interceptions and T.J. Hockenson in the fourth quarter. Despite all his challenges, Dobbs looked to lead the Vikings to another surprising victory before Justin Fields, who threw two possessions later in the game, carried the Bears down the field for the win.
Despite the INT issues (not all of them bothered him, as Jordan Addison gave up a punt to the quarterback), Dobbs said he wasn’t focused on whether the result would put him back on the bench. “I think it was a coaching decision, but it wasn’t,” Dobbs said. “I’m just focusing on myself on how I can help this team win, how I can be a good teammate and a good quarterback and how I can make sure the offense runs the right way according to the script. Go out there and play at a high level.”
Days after being acquired in a trade from the Arizona Cardinals, Dobbs made headlines on Nov. 1 when the journeyman QB led the Vikings past the Atlanta Falcons. 5. Another big win a week later against the New Orleans Saints. But Monday would mark the second straight loss for the Vikings, with Dobbs forcing six turnovers and scoring two touchdowns. His six sacks in Week 11 are tied for the most in the NFL during that span with Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions. Dobbs and the Vikings’ fortunes have changed, but so has Jaren Hall and Dobbs’ health has filled in after he suffered a concussion against the Falcons. .
“We’ve been healthy, we’ve got Jaren and Nick Mullens available,” O’Connell said. O’Connell acknowledged Monday that he considered bringing in Mullens but stuck with Dobbs.
“It got to the point where we were trying to think of something to give us a spark, maybe a turnover all of a sudden throughout the game, or Josh taking us down the field.” Connell said. “Despite the fact that the gap could have been completely eroded offensively, I thought Josh didn’t hesitate and continued to play and compete to help us get the win. I really appreciate what he did. On nights when football it revolves around him, Doing so is hard. This person is a competitor.”
But Dobbs’ performance Monday was proof of why he didn’t stick with his previous organizations, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and Cardinals.
They can attack quickly, but in both cases they dissipate after a while. “At the end of the day, when I have the ball in my hands and guys are open, I’m just going to keep shooting and throwing the ball where I need to go and we’ll take care of it.” Among the rest.” In the motherland.\”
Vikings’ Justin Jefferson is coming off a hamstring injury. NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Monday that he will likely start on injured reserve on Wednesday. They won after losing Kirk Cousins for the season, and Hall took over briefly before Dobbs came on the scene.
Minnesota is currently 6-6 and in danger of clinching the No. 1 seed. 7 in NFC. Before continuing the season against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14, they’ll decide if they think O’Connell Hall or Mullens are better for the future or if Dobbs has more tricks up his sleeve.
“I think Josh Dobbs came in briefly and we actually went 2-2 at a time when a lot of people thought Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson were gone. The game filled us up a lot. “Together.” O’Connell said. “This team doesn’t think like that. That’s not how we work, that’s not how I work. We try to win every football game we play.” “We’ll evaluate what we’ve been able to do so far, what we need to do better and see what that looks like.”
Was the last chapter of Dobbs’ fun story written in the Twin Cities? That appears to be a decision O’Connell will make next week.
