Throwing four interceptions in a Week 12 defeat to the Chicago Bears, quarterback Josh Dobbs of the Minnesota Vikings was in danger of being benched.
Following the defeat, head coach Kevin O’Connell declared that he would “take a look at everything” when deciding which quarterback to play during the bye week.
In anticipation of a road game against the Las Vegas Raiders this week, O’Connell decided to give Dobbs another start, although he stated backup Nick Mullens will be ready to go.
The journeyman quarterback’s recent dip, which came after a valiant Week 9 debut, did not stop Dobbs, even though he was being held to a short leash and was on the verge of losing the starting job.
In a press conference on December 6, Dobbs stated, “I prepare the same no matter what my role is; obviously I love the opportunity to start and compete and I plan on making the most of this opportunity and bouncing back from my last time on the field.” “There has been open dialogue. I’m eager for another chance to perform to the best of my abilities and help this team win on Sunday.
When questioned about any significant adjustments to his strategy or the Vikings’ game plan, Dobbs placed the responsibility on himself to play effective, clean football and to make plays when they are available.
Simply put, Dobbs remarked, “it’s tweaks.” “We just need to do what we do best, which is protect the football and make the normal plays when they’re out there. There’s no need to blow it up, bro. When we do it, we’ll play excellent football. It’s really easy.
Josh Dobbs Talks About Changing the Vikings’ Gameplan
O’Connell failed to get Dobbs rolling outside the pocket, despite the Bears’ emphasis on limiting him within the line. This raised questions about whether the Vikings coach was doing Dobbs any favors by trying to use him like a conventional pocket passer.
After four weeks of improvising game plans since Dobbs came at the trade deadline on October 31, the head coach and quarterback utilized the bye week to analyze the film and talk about the offense going ahead.
“I think there has been excellent communication, beginning with the coaching staff enquiring, ‘Hey, what are you comfortable with?'” Which plays are your favorites? Which ideas do you excel in?” Dobbs asked. “And for me, in order for us to go out and executive play at a high level, sharing things that I like in the game plan and also not being afraid to share things that I don’t feel comfortable with.”
Josh Dobbs should keep things simple for the Vikings.
The fact that Dobbs’ play has been worse as he has spent more time in Minnesota is an intriguing one. Replacing rookie Jaren Hall, who was injured in the first quarter of the Vikings’ game against the Atlanta Falcons, Dobbs was given play calls and design in real time by O’Connell, who helped the team score a game-high 31 points against the Falcons.
The following week, Dobbs performed admirably, with 268 passing yards and 44 rushing yards in addition to two touchdowns in a 27-19 victory against the New Orleans Saints. In his first two games as a Viking, his combined passer rating was 101.4, which is significantly higher than this season’s league average of 88.8.
However, Dobbs has gotten worse in his last two starts. Between the Bears loss and the Week 11 loss to the Denver Broncos, he has turned the ball over six times. In those games, his passer rating was 61.1 on average.
O’Connell might have put too much on Dobbs’ plate following the team’s five-game winning streak, which had them feeling quite confident. Defenses are also becoming more adept at reducing Dobbs’ impact.
Given the highs and lows that have occurred with Dobbs at the center, it’s difficult to predict how the Vikings offense will play this week against the highly regarded Raiders defense.
However, following a game plan against the Bears that appeared to be for Kirk Cousins—who acknowledges that it took him a full year to fully understand the offense—O’Connell would be wise to capitalize on what Dobbs does well.
