The Minnesota Vikings will start Joshua Dobbs at quarterback for their Week 14 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday (December 6) amid speculation following the team's Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears.
"The #Vikings are sticking with QB Josh Dobbs heading into this week’s matchup against the #Raiders, per me and @TomPelissero. Dobbs struggled against the #Bears before the bye, but keeps his job with a chance to go out and get a much-needed win," Rapoport wrote on his X account.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell acknowledged the possibility of making a quarterback change after the Vikings' 12-11 'Monday Night Football' loss to the NFC North Division rival Chicago Bears.
“We’re going to take a look and really evaluate the inventory of plays now we have of Josh,” O’Connell said during his postgame press conference. “We got healthy. We got Jaren [Hall] back available to us, and then Nick Mullens is available as well.”
Dobbs, who took over for Jaren Hall after the rookie suffered a concussion in his first and only NFL start, finished Monday's (November 28) game with 185 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions on 22 of 32 passing. Hall, who was slated to takeover in the absence of injured starter Kirk Cousins, was listed as an emergency No. 3 quarterback behind Nick Mullens weeks after his concussion.
Dobbs won two consecutive games, first in relief for Hall -- just four days after being acquired via trade -- and again in his first start for the Vikings before the team dropped each of its last two games. Hall, who was selected by the Vikings at No. 164 overall in the fifth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft, threw for 78 yards on 5 of 6 passing before suffering a concussion on the opening drive of his only NFL start on November 5.