Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs (15) Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Vikings to start fourth different QB of season in Week 15

It is officially midnight for Josh Dobbs' Cinderella story with the Minnesota Vikings

Head coach Kevin O'Connell announced on Tuesday that Dobbs is headed to the bench and Nick Mullens will take over as the team's starting quarterback for its Week 15 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Mullens came off the bench on Sunday and helped engineer a field goal drive late in the fourth quarter to lift the Vikings to an ugly 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He was brought into the game after Dobbs had a miserable start, throwing for just 63 yards on 23 attempts. 

Mullens will be Minnesota's fourth different starting quarterback this season, joining a list that includes Kirk Cousins, Jaren Hall and Dobbs. 

Dobbs was acquired by the Vikings just before the NFL trade deadline after Cousins suffered a season-ending injury. The hope was that he would simply provide some depth on the roster, but he was immediately forced into action when Hall had to exit a game against the Atlanta Falcons. Dobbs came off the bench just days after being acquired and helped lead the team to a stunning victory. He did so despite not knowing most of the team's calls or even knowing the names of his teammates. 

The improbable success story continued the next week when he got the start and led the Vikings to a 27-19 win over the New Orleans Saints.

That would unfortunately be the high point of his time in Minnesota. The past three games have been a completely different story for Dobbs as he threw for just 469 yards, completed only one touchdown, was intercepted five times and fumbled three times. 

After winning just one of their five first games, the Vikings (7-6) have gone 6-2 in the eight games that have followed and enter the weekend in a wild card spot in the NFC. It is a pretty improbable turnaround given not only the quarterback injuries, but also the fact superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson has also missed significant time. 

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