Nick Mullens will give it another go when the Vikings close the regular season – and then likely transition into the offseason – Sunday at noon in Detroit.
“We’re going to start Nick Mullens,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday afternoon. “Nick has been very effective moving the team. We’ve been very explosive as an offense when he’s been in there. Nick knows that the one area that we must focus on is the possession of the football and not giving the football away.”
It’ll be Mullens’ third start this season. He threw for 303 yards in a loss to the Bengals and followed up with 411 passing yards in a loss to the Lions. A big reason Minnesota lost both games is because Mullens threw a combined six interceptions.
“He’s gotta be a great decision-maker, trust in the other ten guys to do their jobs at a really high level and try to overcome being on the road in a great atmosphere against a defense that’s playing really good football,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell wasn’t ready to announce who the backup quarterback will be, leaving the door open for either rookie Jaren Hall or veteran Josh Dobbs.
Dobbs made five starts after Kirk Cousins ruptured his Achilles in late October and Hall has been granted a pair of starting opportunities, including Sunday night when he was benched after a rough first half in the Vikings’ 33-10 loss.
Minnesota has to beat Detroit and then hope the Packers lose to the Bears, the Seahawks lose to the Cardinals and either the Buccaneers or Saints lose in order to sneak into the playoffs as a wild card.
“They’re very much aware that the only thing that matters is us finding a way to win a football game, and then from there we’ll find out what that looks like,” O’Connell said when asked about his team’s slim chance to make the playoffs.
