Vikings make the right choice with Nick Mullens
The Minnesota Vikings lost a heartbreaker to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15 because of a lot of reasons and Nick Mullens' two interceptions played a big role.They aren't the sole reason why the Vikings lost, though. They're not even the main reason. A poor defensive performance that saw the unit give the most points […]
The Minnesota Vikings lost a heartbreaker to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15 because of a lot of reasons and Nick Mullens' two interceptions played a big role.
They aren't the sole reason why the Vikings lost, though. They're not even the main reason. A poor defensive performance that saw the unit give the most points it's given up in over a month was the catalyst behind the loss and of course, the very questionable call on 4th and inches in overtime.
Regardless, Mullens completed nearly 80% of his passes in the loss and threw for over 300-yards and two touchdowns on top of his two interceptions. He was a big reason why the Vikings offense looked better than it had in weeks and he helped the team build a 17-3 lead and a 24-17 lead before the Bengals came back and won the game.
But oddly enough, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell wouldn't commit to the idea of Mullens as the starter after the game.
"We'll take a look at it, watch the film and make a decision moving forward," O'Connell said after the game. "But, Nick Mullens played how I expected him to play. We still need to find a way to protect the football when it's in our hands, on all downs. And continue to strive for the execution of the other 10 guys around the quarterback, which I thought for the most part today was was pretty solid."
That changed on Monday, as ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Mullens will be the Vikings' starting QB in Week 16.
It was always going to be Mullens
The Vikings didn't just take the starting job from Josh Dobbs, they made him the the emergency quarterback for the Bengals game. That tells you where he currently stands in the eyes of the coaching staff.
Jaren Hall is a rookie quarterback – why on Earth would O'Connell trust him to start over Mullens, who had 18 NFL starts coming into the Bengals matchup? The Vikings are right in the thick of the playoff race and they have a crucial matchup against the division rival Detroit Lions on Sunday. Starting Hall over Mullens is not the right choice.
Ultimately, it was always suspected that Mullens would start. Now, why O'Connell drug his feet is unknown, but that's more moot, than anything, at this point.
But if the Vikings can get Mullens to take the next step and cut down on the turnovers, and if the defense can get back on track, then Minnesota will be in good shape to keep slogging through this playoff push.
