The Vikings Week 9 win over the Falcons was one of the better stories and finishes of the NFL season. Things looked bleak when rookie backup Jaren Hall went down with a concussion a the end of the first quarter. Then Josh Dobbs led an incredible comeback drive, making plays with both his arm and legs to close out Atlanta. He was able to do all that despite not receiving a practice snap after coming over from Arizona mid-week. Heck, he didn’t even know the playbook. Minnesota was running hurry up with him so that Kevin O’Connell had time to walk him through the looks and various routes.
The Josh Dobbs frenzy was noticeably high postgame. The fans waited for him by the visitor tunnel to give him an ovation after the on-field interviews. The locker room was also going wild after the game with multiple stories about how Dobbs was asking receivers what route they were running and how the offensive line had to hurriedly practice his cadence Hall went down. Kevin O’Connell finished it all off with an impassioned speech congratulating his new quarterback. The general feeling in the room seemed to be that Dobbs is going to be the guy moving forward and that maybe he can save Minnesota’s season. And that’s the sentiment that could spell disaster for the rest of their season.
Josh Dobbs Is A Week 9 Hero, But He Can’t Save the Vikings
Josh Dobbs’ Play was an Aberration
Look, the ending to the game was fun, and it’s one that Vikings fans won’t forget anytime soon. However, Josh Dobbs was objectively bad for the majority of the game. He came into the game and immediately took a bad sack for a safety on his first drive. Dobbs proceeded to lose two fumbles deep in Vikings territory that required the defense to bail him out. He also repeatedly left his receivers out to dry, once leading to a scary K.J. Osborn concussion. There was another such play where Jordan Addison narrowly avoided being clotheslined by an oncoming safety.
The excuse will be that Dobbs only had a few days to learn the playbook and was figuring it all out on the fly. Isn’t that what his biggest assets are though? Dobbs is notably a rocket scientist, so if there is a quarterback that one would expect to be able to learn an offense at warp speed, it’s Dobbs. Dobbs is also a solid athlete and can get by with playing some backyard football when required. He did plenty of that against a Falcons team that runs a lot of man coverage and never adjusted.
It’s not that Dobbs didn’t perform admirably given the expectations of his talent level and situation. The problem is that onlookers and potentially his own team are now extrapolating a few big plays way beyond reason. Dobbs is 1-9 in his career as a starter, including 1-7 this year with the Cardinals. There’s a reason Arizona basically gave him away. He’s a fine backup, but if Minnesota thinks he’s the best answer this season they’re delusional. He’s not suddenly going to turn into a league-average passer, and teams are going key on the run. Josh Dobbs is not the answer.
Jaren Hall Needs to be Given the Reigns
Jaren Hall looked exceptional prior to getting injured against Atlanta. After a three-and-out, in which he was backed up inside his own 5, he got the offense humming his next time out. He quickly drove Minnesota down to the Atlanta goal line. On one play, he read the Falcons defense pre-snap and checked into a wheel route to running back Alexander Mattison, which Hall completed for a big gain. Overall, Hall completed 5/6 for 78 yards and his one incompletion was a narrowly missed touchdown to Hockenson.
Hall also showcased a ton of comfort within the pocket, stepping up past rushers with regularity. He also showed a great feel for when to take off when the play broke down. Unfortunately, his last such play resulted in a concussion while trying to break the plane on a third and goal. It was an extremely tough break that will leave him wondering “what might have been” if he had been able to finish the game.
Even if Hall isn’t quite the known quantity that Josh Dobbs is, he’s clearly the better option for Minnesota. In limited action, he’s shown the potential to be a dual threat that could elevate Kevin O’Connell’s offense. Sure, Dobbs can run, but the passing ability just isn’t even close to what it needs to be to call him a consistent threat through the air.
The real key though is that the Vikings aren’t going to be competitive in the playoffs with Dobbs. They likely wouldn’t be either with Hall, but at least there’s a chance there. Going with Dobbs to simply compete for a Wild Card would be extremely short-sighted. No matter how slim the odds, foregoing the opportunity to see if Hall could possibly be the guy, is a huge organizational mistake.
Main Photo: Brett Davis – USA Today Sports
