Two weeks ago, the Minnesota Vikings reached the end of their rope with Josh Dobbs in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders. The moment has come for head coach Kevin O’Connell to bench Nick Mullens as well.
Mullens has already contributed to the Vikings being among the NFL leaders in turnovers. The quarterback has only played nine quarters for Minnesota in 2023 and is already responsible for six turnovers, all of which have been interceptions. In addition, he is 0-2 as a starter.
The dissatisfaction created by Mullens’ play was visible on the sidelines on Sunday, December 24, when Minnesota lost 30-24 to the Detroit Lions, with the QB throwing four interceptions. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert recounted O’Connell’s response to Mullens’ second pick of the game via X, and it wasn’t pleasant.
That exchange between Kevin O'Connell and Nick Mullens is about as animated as you'll see O'Connell. Looked like Mullens had several options to throw to on that play.
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) December 24, 2023
“That exchange between Kevin O’Connell and Nick Mullens is about as animated as you’ll see O’Connell,” Seifert wrote in a blog post. “Looked like Mullens had several options to throw to on that play.”
Mullens has undeniably resurrected an offense that scored only 33 points in Dobbs’ final three outings. Despite 797 yards via the air, four throwing touchdowns, and a total of 48 points in the last two games, Minnesota must give rookie quarterback Jaren Hall a chance to start next week against the Green Bay Packers.
The Vikings are concerned about Jaren Hall’s inexperience, but Nick Mullens’ turnover issues are far worse.
On December 19, Darren Wolfson of KSTP claimed that the Vikings are hesitant to play Hall due to worries about his proclivity for turnovers.
That anxiety must derive from Hall’s efforts in practice, as he did not commit a turnover in the less than one quarter he played as the team’s starter against the Atlanta Falcons on November 5 before being sidelined by a concussion. The quarterback fumbled in relief of Kirk Cousins after he suffered an Achilles tear against the Packers the week before, although the turnover can be attributed equally to the Vikings offensive line and Hall.
“I’ve heard there’s a reluctance to go with the rookie,” Wolfson remarked on the SKOR North podcast Mackey and Judd. “As long as the playoffs are attainable, they’re not ready to throw Jaren Hall out there.”
Given the fifth-round rookie’s inexperience, it’s unreasonable to say Minnesota’s concerns about him are unfounded. After all, given their daily access to Hall, the coaches know far more than any of us.
However, if the Vikings are concerned about missing the playoffs due to quarterback turnovers, they must remove Mullens from the starting lineup as soon as possible.
This offseason, the Vikings must make a major decision at quarterback.
O’Connell trusted Hall enough to start him against Atlanta, and Hall might have held the job if it hadn’t been for Dobbs’ instant heroics in his place. Mullens was on injured reserve with a back injury at the time Hall entered the team. Mullens was given the nod once he was healthy, and Dobbs demonstrated his inability to lead a successful offense.
Now that Cousins is out for the season, Dobbs has been demoted to third-string, and Mullens is throwing an interception every quarter and a half, it’s time for Minnesota to take a chance on Hall.
The team expects to make a pick in the mid-teens to early-twenties in the 2024 NFL Draft and needs to know what it has in its $4.1 million rookie quarterback. Learning that will help the organization decide whether to draft a new signal-caller in that range or go in a different path.
If Hall is genuinely ready to go, the Vikings will be able to kill two birds with one stone. If he isn’t, they can always go back to Mullens or Dobbs in Week 17’s second half and/or the season finale. In any case, the franchise will have a better understanding of who they have in Hall, which is critical information as the Vikings plan their future.
Minnesota is 7-8 with a home game against Green Bay and a road game against Detroit remaining, and two wins will almost certainly be enough to get Minnesota into the postseason. It is unknown whether Hall can lead the squad to the playoffs, but either Dobbs or Mullens appear to be capable of doing it.
