Vikings Coach Kevin O’Connell Turns Back On Team..
The 2023 NFL season has proven to be the (backup) quarterback’s year thus far.
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Fourteen teams have used multiple starting quarterbacks through 13 weeks. The Cleveland Browns lead the group with seven quarterback changes (among four different starters) among those 14 teams. In total, those teams have made 35 changes at the position (not starting the same player two weeks in a row).
When Minnesota (6-6) travels to Las Vegas (5-7), Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is anticipated to make an announcement on Wednesday regarding his starting lineup, which could include Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, or Jaren Hall.
The Raiders also have dealt with a quarterback shuffle. Rookie Aidan O’Connell (no relation to the Vikings coach) has started the past four games for the Raiders and five overall. Jimmy Garoppolo started six, and Brian Hoyer has started one.
Despite not playing last week, the Vikings moved up in a couple of lists but fell back in others in this week’s Power Rankings. Here’s a look at where the Vikings rank heading into Week 14:
This week’s post-bye game against the Raiders figures to have some real drama beyond whether Justin Jefferson plays or not. There’s a chance that Head Coach Kevin O’Connell could make a change at quarterback — either before Sunday’s contest or during it — given Joshua Dobbs’ colossal struggles against the Bears in Week 12. At the very least, you can expect understudy Nick Mullens to be on ready-alert going into this game. Rookie Jaren Hall is back in the mix, too. In addition to deciding whether the Vikings advance to the postseason, this game and the days that follow will probably also have an impact on the team’s quarterbacking strategy in the offseason. Can the offensive line, which has been a strength of the team, continue this way? This is another worry. It wasn’t hostile to Chicago.
[The Vikings] come off the bye and might make a quarterback change from Josh Dobbs to Nick Mullens or even Jaren Hall. They have to cut down on the turnovers, no matter who starts.
Kirk Cousins is ranked 10th in terms of EPA per pass attempt (.21) and sixth in terms of passer rating (99.9) among quarterbacks with over 1,000 attempts since he started playing regularly in 2015. The Vikings have lost their past two games, making it evident how much they miss Captain Kirk, after defeating two NFC South teams in their first two games without Cousins. While there’s every reason to think Cousins will recover from his ruptured Achilles tendon nearly fully, he will be a free agent in 2024. Minnesota needs to address that.