It wasn't long ago that Joshua Dobbs was captivating the nation as the Vikings' improbably poised emergency quarterback. But after a 12-10 loss to the underdog Bears on Monday night, in which he threw a career-high four interceptions, Dobbs may not be Minnesota's QB for long, with head coach Kevin O'Connell declining to commit to the veteran moving forward.
"We're gonna take a look," O'Connell told reporters when asked if he'll consider a QB change. "(We'll) really evaluate the inventory of plays now we have of Josh. We got healthy, we have Jaren (Hall) back available to us, and then Nick Mullens is available as well.
"Look, I (commend) what Josh Dobbs has really done, coming in here on short notice and going 2-2 on a stretch where a lot of people might've thought ... the deck's stacked against us," he continued. "(But) we're gonna evaluate what we've been able to do. ... We'll take a look at everything. We've got a lot of work to do during the bye."
O'Connell, who credited defensive coordinator Brian Flores for giving the Vikings a chance to win Monday's ugly contest, added that Dobbs is "still getting comfortable" in the system after arriving on Halloween via trade. He suggested that several of Dobbs' picks -- even those tipped off receivers' hands -- were the result of poor rhythm or timing.
The former Cardinals starter, who was also a last-minute QB1 in Arizona, thrived in his first action replacing Hall, who initially took over for the injured Kirk Cousins. He totaled five touchdowns and zero picks in a 2-0 stretch that included a comeback upset of the Falcons. But his passer rating has declined in each of his subsequent appearances, and he's now totaled six turnovers in his last two games.
Dobbs' regression has coincided with the Vikings' two-game losing streak. After recovering from a 1-4 start to reach 6-4, the team is now 6-6 entering its Week 13 bye, still eyeing a potential wild-card run in the NFC playoff picture. Hall, a fifth-round rookie, has thrown just 10 passes this season. Mullens, meanwhile, was recently activated from injured reserve and has 17 career starts, all but one of which came as Jimmy Garoppolo's backup with the 49ers from 2017-20.
