Joshua Dobbs experienced an unexpected high immediately after his trade to the Minnesota Vikings. After the bitter defeat in the Monday Night Game against the Chicago Bears, the “Passtronaut” came down to earth in the NFL. And possibly even lose his job as starting quarterback.
At least that’s how the words of head coach Kevin O’Connell can be interpreted, who was asked after the defeat against the Bears whether it was time to make a change at the quarterback position: “We’ll take a look at it and evaluate it.” Backing Dobbs probably sounds different.
However, the playmaker did little to advertise himself in the bitter 10:12 loss against the Bears. Although he completed a solid 68.8 percent of his passes to teammates with 22/32, he also threw four interceptions and only one touchdown.
“As much good as he has already done for us, he still needs to warm up to our passing offense,” O’Connell explained afterwards about his quarterback’s performance.
He was thrown into the deep end at the beginning of November after Kirk Cousins’ injury and led the Vikings to victories over the Falcons and Saints. The “passtronaut” was then celebrated for his quick adaptation of the offense, as he didn’t even know all the players by name before he beat the Falcons.
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Incidentally, rookie Jaren Hall started the duel against the Falcons as a starter, but the 25-year-old was ruled out early with a concussion. By then, however, he had made a good impression.
It is quite possible that the Vikings will rely on Jaren Hall instead of Dobbs in the future in order to be able to assess him better. After all, there is a big decision to be made in the offseason.
Starting quarterback Kirk Cousins’ contract is expiring. The veteran, who tore his Achilles tendon at the end of October, promoted himself heavily before his injury and showed good performances. However, whether the Vikings are willing to pay him again is anyone’s guess. Minnesota could still find out how good their alternative is by playing for Jaren Hall.