The Vikings‘ HC, Kevin O’Connell, had enough of Josh Dobbs by the end of the third quarter. The QB was benched ahead of the last stretch to bring in backup Nick Mullens as the scoreline remained 0-0 against the Raiders.
Dobbs was dull throughout the first three quarters and failed to even touch the 70-yard mark. However, his backup Mullens proved to be a lucky charm for the team as they closed the season-lowest scoreline at 3-0 after a 4th quarter field goal.
Josh Dobbs benched by Kevin O’Connell
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By the time he went out, Dobbs had a very unimpressive statistic with 10-23 for 63 yards. Adding to that were 5 interceptions, which may have been too much to handle for O’Connell.
QB change: The #Vikings have benched Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens is in at QB vs. the Raiders.
Game is tied 0-0 in the 4th quarter. pic.twitter.com/8l4wFvCrfy
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 10, 2023
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Nick Mullens was brought in as his replacement, and he didn’t make a direct contribution to the game. However, his presence proved to be more fruitful for the Vikings against the Raiders, as Greg Joseph’s 36-yard field goal with 2 minutes remaining in the second quarter gave them the win that kept the side in playoff contention.
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The Raiders and the Vikings: The two sides of the coin
After changing hands multiple times over the years and getting the starter role following Kirk Cousin‘s season-ending injury, Josh Dobbs has finally settled in at a franchise for the first time in his NFL career. But has his old problem with consistency already starting to take shape again? In his first few games for the side, Dobbs looked at his best and even had a 378-yard game against Purdy‘s 49ers as the Vikings defeated the NFC runner-ups 22-17. But in recent weeks, his lack of consistency has drawn attention, an apparent example being his exclusion from the Raiders game.
The Raiders, on the other hand, are pretty much done for the season with their 8th loss, and they can spend the postseason looking for an eligible head coach, relieving interim head coach Antonio Pierce of his duties. Starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo has fallen out of Pierce’s favor, so one of their basic criteria for the next HC would be making use of the veteran quarterback. Until then, it’s a work in progress at Vegas!
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