A horrendous home loss to the Bears may end Joshua Dobbs’ feel-good story in Minnesota.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell did not commit to Dobbs as Minnesota’s starting quarterback coming out of the Week 13 bye following a four-interception disaster in the 12-10 loss to the Bears on “Monday Night Football.”
O’Connell also acknowledged that he considered benching Dobbs for backup Nick Mullens during the game.
“We’re going to take a look and really evaluate the inventory of plays now we have of Josh,” O’Connell said after the Vikings fell to 6-6. “We got healthy. We got Jaren [Hall] back available to us, and then Nick Mullens is available as well.”
Dobbs once seemed like the steal of the trade deadline but the luster is coming off.
The Vikings acquired Dobbs from the Cardinals after losing quarterback Kirk Cousins for the season, and he led them to back-to-back wins over the Falcons and Saints.
Dobbs entered in relief against Atlanta after rookie Hall suffered a concussion and engineered a last-minute, go-ahead touchdown drive.
Dobbs tossed three touchdown passes and added two rushing scores across those two wins, while not turning the ball over.
The last two games, though, have not gone as smoothly.
Dobbs turned the ball over twice in a 21-20 road loss to the Broncos in Week 11 before his struggles Monday night.
“Josh, as much as he’s done some really good things for us, he’s still getting comfortable in our pass game, play-pass game,” O’Connell said. “We’re working through that. I think three of the interceptions were off tipped balls, the rhythm and timing of our offense not feeling as crisp as we want to.”
He added: “We’ve got to start playing football, especially offensively, at a higher clip without turning the ball over. Give ourself more opportunities.”
Dobbs took the blame for the interceptions.
“Turnovers really control the game,” Dobbs said. “It starts with me and my decision-making. … I acknowledge it, man. I’m frustrated with myself because it starts with me. I’ll be better from it. I’ll learn from every single one of them tonight, and we’ll use it to build momentum into the next opportunity.”
The Vikings return from their bye in Week 14 to visit the Raiders and they could turn to Mullens, a veteran, who entered Monday as Dobbs’ backup.
Hall cleared concussion protocol last week, according to ESPN.
Whomever the Vikings start will have the benefit of throwing to Justin Jefferson, who is expected to return to the team when they play in Las Vegas.
Dobbs is not concerning himself with the possibility he could lose his job.
“Honestly, I think that’s a coaching decision,” Dobbs said. “I just focus on myself. Focus on how I can help this team win. Focus on how I can be a better teammate, a better quarterback and focus on how I can make sure the offense is in the right play based on the scenario to go out and execute and play at a high level.”
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