Impressive stat shows Josh Dobbs has played some special football lately
Minnesota Vikings QB Josh Dobbs has been on a roll lately, even with the Vikings losing 21-20 in the final minutes at Denver to snap a 5-game winning streak. The former Tennessee Vols standout has helped the Vikings continue towards a playoff spot despite the loss of starting QB Kirk Cousins and All-Pro WR Justin […]
Minnesota Vikings QB Josh Dobbs has been on a roll lately, even with the Vikings losing 21-20 in the final minutes at Denver to snap a 5-game winning streak. The former Tennessee Vols standout has helped the Vikings continue towards a playoff spot despite the loss of starting QB Kirk Cousins and All-Pro WR Justin Jefferson.
How has he been able to be so successful in such a short amount of time? It's been his ability to improvise better than expected – literally.
According to Next Gen Stats, Dobbs leads the NFL in a very particular category among quarterbacks: Rushing Yards Over Expected.
It goes without saying that Dobbs' legs have been his primary calling card so far this season. Hard to say the contrary, given he leads the NFL on rushing TDs on scrambles and is second in rushing yards on them. When a play breaks down, as often is the case in the NFL, no one is better at making something out of nothing than Dobbs.
As far as Rushing Yards Over Expected, it's first helpful to understand what Expected Rushing Yards are. According to Next Gen Stats, they are how many rushing yards a ballcarrier is expected to gain on a given carry based on the relative location, speed, and direction of blockers and defenders. In other words, based on the situation around him, what is the reasonable number of yards the ballcarrier is expected to pick up?
Dobbs has been exceptional in this particular regard, which means he's been able to do things that other quarterbacks would not be expected to. Combine with the fact he's thrown at least one passing touchdown in each of the last four games while also running for at least one, and it's fair to say he's been a dual threat that's currently playing an impressive level.
And he's doing all this without his best wide receiver in Jefferson, who should be returning to the Vikings very soon. If Dobbs can maintain this type of play, then Vol fans could be seeing the former Tennessee standout still playing when the playoffs begin.
Tennessee Vols could receive a nice consolation prize with latest bowl projections
The Volunteers could be headed for an interesting matchup in a desirable location
