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Will the Vikings bench veteran quarterback Nick Mullens in favor of rookie Jaren Hall?

dane mizutani, pioneer press
·3 min read
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It seems as if veteran quarterback Nick Mullens has given head coach Kevin O’Connell something to think about as the Vikings prepare to play the Green Bay Packers on New Year’s Eve. Asked if he planned to roll with Mullens as the starter moving forward, O’Connell was notably noncommittal.

“We’re working through that right now,” O’Connell said. “Just making sure we go through a full evaluation process.”

If the Vikings decide to bench Mullens for the remainder of this season, it would be more than deserved. He has struggled to take care of the ball in his two starts this season, both losses, throwing two interceptions against the Cincinnati Bengals, then four interceptions against the Detroit Lions.

It hasn’t been much different than journeyman quarterback Josh Dobbs, who took the NFL by storm for a couple of weeks filling in for injured franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins, then almost immediately came crashing back down to earth with his inability to take care of the ball.

“We’ve had some turnovers,” O’Connell said. “The interceptions have kind of been the story for much of this season since we lost Kirk.”

It’s worth noting that Mullens and Dobbs both have been asked to push the ball downfield in the name of explosiveness. That style of play inherently produces more turnovers than simply checking down repeatedly.

Not that it’s an excuse for throwing interceptions at an alarming rate like Mullens and Dobbs have in their time under center.

“We’ve got to find a way to still possess the football and not set our team back,” O’Connell said. “We’ve talked at great length about that turnover margin.”

That’s why the Vikings are at least considering a change that would entail handing the keys to rookie quarterback Jaren Hall for the foreseeable future. Interestingly, Hall has been the backup for the past couple of weeks, not Dobbs, with Mullens serving as the starter in that span.

Though he doesn’t have much experience, Hall showed some flashes in the first start of his career against the Atlanta Falcons a couple of months ago. He moved the ball effectively via an explosive play downfield before suffering a concussion on a scramble near the goal line that knocked him out of the game.

“He’s healthy now after having recovered from the concussion,” O’Connell said. “He’s really put together some solid weeks of preparation.”

O’Connell said he’s considering all options under center with Vikings needing to win to make the playoffs. He plans to name a starter before the Vikings start practice for the Packers so that everybody is on the same page heading into the crucial New Year’s Eve game.

“The way this season has gone, we need to prepare, not only for who’s going to be the starter, we need to prepare for who would be the next man up,” O’Connell said. “I also think it’s important for the other guys in the huddle to know and get reps with that guy.”

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