Vikings set to start rookie quarterback Jaren Hall vs Packers
The Minnesota Vikings will have a new starting quarterback against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. According to NFL Network's NFL insider Tom Pelissero, rookie Jaren Hall will be the signal-caller in the NFC North matchup. It'll be Hall's third regular season appearance and second start. He entered the previous Packers game in […]
The Minnesota Vikings will have a new starting quarterback against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. According to NFL Network's NFL insider Tom Pelissero, rookie Jaren Hall will be the signal-caller in the NFC North matchup.
It'll be Hall's third regular season appearance and second start. He entered the previous Packers game in week 8, right after Kirk Cousins ruptured his Achilles. He completed 3/4 passes to 23 yards, with an 88.5 passer rating. In week 9, he started against the Atlanta Falcons. However, he got hurt late in the first quarter, suffering a concussion after getting hit near the goal line. Hall finished the game completing 5/6 passes for 78 yards, with an 118.7 passer rating.
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted Jaren Hall in the fifth round as a developmental prospect. In early November, the general manager talked about what the plan was with Hall.
"I believe a lot in Jaren Hall," Adofo-Mensah stressed. "I think he's a really good player. Now, the problem is, when you project something, you don't know – you don't expect him to start in his rookie year at this time. I can't say we expected that."
Revolving door
Since Kirk Cousins got hurt, the Vikings have started three quarterbacks. Hall was the first one, against the Falcons, and left the game early. Recently-acquired Josh Dobbs entered the game — by the time, veteran Nick Mullens was still on injured reserve.
Dobbs played well enough to win that game, and kept the starting job for four more games. However, he had bad performances in the last three of them, especially against the Las Vegas Raiders, and Mullens entered the game — a strange 3-0 win.
Mullens then went on to start two games, but his four-interception game last week against the Detroit Lions motivated a new change, this time going back to Hall.
The Packers game is one of the most important of the season for the Vikings. They need a win to keep a realistic shot at making the playoffs, and basically to eliminate the rivals from contention.
How the Packers can exploit Vikings rookie QB Jaren Hall
Rookie will make his second NFL start on Sunday
