Vikings' abysmal performance leaves HC Kevin O'Connell with huge decision
With November coming to a close, the Minnesota Vikings desperately needed a win Monday night at home against the Chicago Bears to remain in prime position for a wild-card berth and within striking distance of the Detroit Lions (8-3) in the NFC North.
Instead, Minnesota dropped to 6-6 with an ugly 12-10 loss to the Chicago Bears. While the Vikings still occupy the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC, they're only a half-game ahead of the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams, who are each 5-6 after back-to-back wins.
The main culprit for Minnesota's loss was quarterback Joshua Dobbs. The "Passtronaut" — who's filling in for the injured Kirk Cousins (Achilles), who's out for the season — had been the feel-good story of 2023. He led the Vikings to wins in each of his first two appearances after his trade from Arizona.
Since then, however, Minnesota has dropped back-to-back games, with Dobbs committing six turnovers in that span. Four of those turnovers came Monday against a suddenly clutch Chicago defense that has seven interceptions over its last two games.
With Minnesota on a bye in Week 13, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell plans to reconsider his quarterback situation.
"We're going to take a look and really evaluate the inventory of plays we have of Josh," he told the media. O'Connell could turn to a now-healthy Jaren Hall or veteran journeyman Nick Mullens at QB.
Hall, a rookie from BYU, started in Week 9 at Atlanta but suffered an early concussion. In limited action, he was 5-for-6 with 78 yards passing. Dobbs came off the bench and threw for two touchdowns to lead the Vikings to a win.
As for Mullens, the six-year veteran hasn't played this season and is 5-12 in 17 previous starts for San Francisco and Cleveland.
If Dobbs, Hall and Mullens are the only alternatives at quarterback, the outlook is bleak for the Vikings and the playoffs seem like a pipe dream.
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