What a week for Josh Dobbs. The short-term Vikings replacement is thrown into the deep end at quarterback out of nowhere – and then, completely unexpectedly, becomes the match winner.
He came as an emergency signing and emergency nail. And when the need in Minnesota became even greater, his moment came. Josh Dobbs has already proven his value for the Minnesota Vikings after the first game.
Last Tuesday the Vikings brought him up north from the Arizona Cardinals. Match practice? Training practice? None. Dobbs didn’t spend a single second of training with his new colleagues and didn’t throw a single pass to his new receivers. And even better: According to his own statements, he didn’t even know the entire name of all his teammates. “I’ll do that next week,” he said dryly after his debut in the Vikings jersey.
Josh Dobbs at the Vikings: Barely there, already in the middle
But like a virgin to child, Dobbs arrived right in the thick of things in Week 9 against the Atlanta Falcons. Because: Vikings QB Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon the previous week. Cousins’ replacement Nick Mullens is on injured reserve with back problems. Therefore, rookie Jaren Hall started. But the backup QB suffered a concussion in the first quarter and had to go out.
So use it for Dobbs. He quickly gathered his offensive line to go through at least the most important plays. Curious scene on the sideline.
Now, what followed was not a flawless performance. The 28-year-old was immediately sacked and had to accept a safety, plus two fumbles later. But nobody talked about it after the game. Because when it came down to it, he held his nerve.
The highlight: His 6-yard touchdown pass at the end of a 75-yard drive that made the game 31:28. His own spectacular run for a touchdown in the third quarter was also part of the comeback. Led by Dobbs, the Vikings turned the game around from 13:21 to the final score of 31:28. Dobbs ended the surprising day of work with three total touchdowns. Pretty much no one would have expected that before the game.
A classic NFL wandering bird
“In this league there is never an excuse for your circumstances. I got that from Mike Tomlin [Trainer der Pittsburgh Steelers] learned. Usually people don’t care about your circumstances. They just want to see you succeed under the circumstances.”
Dobbs is familiar with being thrown in the cold water. He made his first start in 2022 eight days after the Tennessee Titans signed him. The Cardinals brought him in at the end of August 2023, and he started in Week 1 two weeks later.
Dobbs is a classic wandering bird; in addition to the Cardinals and Titans, he has already been on the squad of four other NFL teams in his seven years in the NFL: the Steelers, Browns, Jaguars and Lions. And now for the Vikings. Dobbs comes in and just does his job.
He is the emergency nail incarnate.
This also impressed head coach Kevin O’Connell. “I know he’s very, very smart, but I’m telling you, what he’s done in five days is as impressive as anything I’ve ever seen from a quarterback.”
Good arguments for no longer being an emergency but rather a starter in the coming week.