The Vikings activated Jefferson on Tuesday and Kevin O’Connell remained noncommittal with his QB situation. You would probably rather eat glass than look for silver linings following the Minnesota Vikings’ miserable 12-10 loss at US Bank Stadium on Monday night but there are some things on their side that make it possible the loss could be merely a body blow rather than a knockout punch. First, that the NFL standings after 12 weeks still include the Vikings as a playoff team. Second, Justin Jefferson is set to return. On Tuesday, the Vikings activated Jefferson following a seven-week absence with a hamstring injury.
Following the game, O’Connell did not commit to Dobbs being back under center in two weeks when the Vikings face off with the Vegas Raiders on the road. Around 12 hours later, having had an opportunity to look at the game again on tape, he did not change his tune about the QB situation, leaving the door open for Dobbs to be replaced by either Nick Mullens or Jaren Hall. “I think we’ll take the time over these next couple days to really evaluate, not only Monday night but the previous body of work, and just see where we’re at as an offense – knowing that we’ll get Justin [Jefferson] back in this offense to solidify our skill group,” O’Connell said. O’Connell said specifically that Jefferson’s return will be part of the decision at quarterback.
“Knowing we’re going to get Justin [Jefferson] back, what does that look like to try to attack coverages not only on third down and in the red zone, but some of those early down opportunities where we do want to stay aggressive with how we want to move the football and marry everything together?” O’Connell said. “It’s not the same as when you’re operating with Kirk [Cousins] and JJ [Justin Jefferson] out there full time, but by no means do we view that as a potential roadblock. I view that as something that it’s our responsibility.”
O’Connell acknowledged that the margin for error in NFL passing games is thin, so miscues with footwork and timing can prove costly, as it did against the Bears. Over the first three games Dobbs played he was able to paint over any issues with timing by making plays where he escaped the pocket. The Bears, however, did an excellent job of keeping him from running and forcing mistakes while he was under duress. When Dobbs was pressured, he went 8-for-14 for 84 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. PFF scored him a 26.7 grade, by far the lowest of any Viking QB under pressure this year. With Nick Mullens healthy, O’Connell could turn to him because of his experience in the offense. The former 49er was acquired during 2022 training camp and completed 21-of-25 passes in limited duty. This year he was QB2 through the entire training camp and preseason process but suffered a back injury early in the year, which bumped up rookie Jaren Hall into the backup position.
Before Hall got hurt in Atlanta he was in the midst of leading a quality scoring drive but reading between the lines of O’Connell’s comments it appears the head coach’s focus is on the mastery of the offense. That would point the arrow toward Mullens. “We’re going to make sure that whoever’s playing quarterback is aware and understands the intent behind plays… how to quickly and efficiently get to the right place to go with the football,” O’Connell said. “Because in the end, that’s what the NFL passing game is about, rhythm, timing, understanding that the defense, can and will take some things away, but progressing that rhythm and trying to find the voids and vacancies, and zone or premiere matchups and man coverage.”
Dobbs also graded out well when he was kept clean. He completed 14-of-20 passes with a clean pocket and PFF scored him a strong 84.0 mark. Last week against the Broncos he graded over 90 when he wasn’t under pressure.
