Vikings at a crossroads with Nick Mullens
The Minnesota Vikings offense has scored 24-points in back-to-back games and the offense has amassed over 800 total yards of offense during that span, but turnovers have killed their chances at winning both games.And every single one of the team's six giveaways are interceptions thrown by Nick Mullens.It's clear, after two games, that Mullens isn't […]
The Minnesota Vikings offense has scored 24-points in back-to-back games and the offense has amassed over 800 total yards of offense during that span, but turnovers have killed their chances at winning both games.
And every single one of the team's six giveaways are interceptions thrown by Nick Mullens.
It's clear, after two games, that Mullens isn't the answer. Sure, he's flashed some nice skills and it's clear he can help move the ball up and down the field, but he simply makes way too many mental mistakes and silly plays that hurt the team. And after two weeks, it hasn't shown any signs of stopping or even slowing down.
The injuries to Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson, along with poor pass protection, didn't help Mullens on Sunday, but he still had Justin Jefferson, who made game-changing catch after game-changing catch throughout all four quarters. Jefferson, who finished with six receptions for 141-yards and an incredible touchdown catch, is the sole reason why the Vikings had a shot at winning the game before Mullens' fourth interception sealed their fate.
"I thought he was he was aggressive with his arm," Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters after the game. "On some of those turnovers that happened, I thought there was some, you know, potential grass to maybe throw the ball away from defenders or things like that. But I thought Nick battled. He'd be the first one to tell you that some of those turnovers are just, huge momentum swings and requires a lot of stress on your defense…
"… We left our defense on the field far too much with some of those turnovers and asking them to overcome a lot, there, against a really good offense. And, you know, just didn't do enough in the end to win the game."
Where do the Vikings go from here?
The kicker, however, is Mullens is still the team's best option at quarterback. The question, now becomes, do the Vikings continue to ride the rollercoaster that is his play or do they turn to rookie QB Jaren Hall since they're currently out of the playoff picture?
It's an interesting topic. Because, again, riding with Mullens gives the team its best chance to win, even if he's a bad play waiting to happen. The Vikings defense is also good enough to mitigate the turnovers, to an extent, even if that's not how you want to operate. Case in point: Yes, Mullens has six interceptions in two games but the Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions were only able to get seven points off one of them. The key part with the Bengals picks is they likely cost the Vikings six point and as we know, they lost by three points in overtime.
It's quite the pickle, because O'Connell has stressed cutting down the turnovers for what seems like weeks, now. It's what got Josh Dobbs benched after his stellar start and if O'Connell is consistent, then it should lead to Mullens' benching, as well.
But again, the offense is moving the ball. It's scoring points. It's not winning games by a 3-0 margin or a 12-10 score. There is tangible growth with Mullens on the field – you're just always holding your breath as he drops back.
The best scenario moving forward is…
Start Mullens against the Green Bay Packers since you're still in the hunt. If you win, ride out the wave against the Lions in the season finale and simply cross your fingers for the best. If you lose to the Packers, you'll essentially be out of the playoff race, so go ahead and start Jaren Hall in order to see what you potentially have for the future.
With Kirk Cousins likely out of the picture in 2024 (excluding his $28.5 million dead cap hit), the Vikings need to at least have some idea of who can compete for the starting quarterback job and in order to give that a proper evaluation, they're going to need game tape.
Therefore, giving Hall a shot, if needed, makes sense for the finale. Right now, with how things are set up regarding the postseason, Mullens is still worth the risk, but ultimately, he's not the Vikings' future.
