Jaren Hall gets hurt, so Josh Dobbs steps in and guides the Vikings to a comeback win.
Before his first play as the Vikings’ backup quarterback, Josh Dobbs joined the offensive line for a quick chat.
His new friends wanted to be sure his knew the five main rhythms they’ve been using this season. This is something that is usually talked about on the initial day of workout camp.
When the Vikings got Dobbs on Tuesday from the Cardinals of Arizona, he didn’t get to play with the team at all during training week.
He wasn’t throwing a practice pass towards any of their targets or taken a snap from middle Garrett Bradbury before Sunday. He later said that he was unfamiliar with most of their full names.
But Dobbs had to step in when rookie starter Jaren Hall got a concussion in the first quarter on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. What happened next was one of the most interesting stories of the NFL season.
Dobbs led his team to a thrilling 31–28 win over the Atlanta Falcons after they got off to a slow start.
With 22 seconds left, he threw a touchdown pass of 6 yards to receiver Brandon Powell to cap an 11-play, 75-yard drive that won the game. He helped that drive by scrambling for 22 yards on a fourth-and-7 situation.
Dobbs said, “In this league, there’s never a defense for your situation.” I learned that from Mike Tomlin, the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
People don’t usually care about what’s going on with you. They only want you to do well under the conditions you’ve set.
Kirk Cousins, their quarterback, tore his right Achilles tendon last week. Their backup, Nick Mullens, was also hurt and had to go on injured reserve, so Hall was the sole healthy quarterback in the active squad.
Last week, the Vikings gave Hall all of their practice reps to help him get ready for his first NFL start.
It was suggested by coach Kevin O’Connell that Dobbs prepare for the game as if it were Thursday night, if play installations are shorter and practices are much lighter.
After Josh Dobbs took over as quarterback, the Arizona Cardinals only won one game. After being traded from the Cardinals to the Minnesota Vikings, he led them to a 31-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons as a backup quarterback.
Jaren Hall, the starter, had to leave the game because he got an injury, so Dobbs had to come in. He lost his job because of safety, but then he led the Vikings to an important win.
Twenty of the thirty passes that Dobbs completed went for 158 yards or two scores. Seven times, he ran for 66 yards or a score. He also made a pass for an extra point.
At 21–13, the game was tied at 21–21 when Dobbs ran eighteen meters for a score and then hit Trishton Jackson for the two-point conversion.
The fact that Dobbs had been even wearing a Vikings outfit on Sunday showed how strange this Vikings season is getting.
With 2:08 left, the Falcons scored a touchdown to go ahead 28–24. Dobbs then led the Vikings on an 11-play, 75-yard drive that finished with a touchdown pass from Dobbs to Brandon Powell from six yards out.
They gave Minnesota a sixth-round pick in exchange for Dobbs as well as a seventh-round pick. Phoenix will get the seventh-round pick back if Dobbs plays adequate for the Vikings over the rest of this season.
When youngster Jaren Hall got hit in the head on Sunday, Dobbs was thrown right into the action. He had just moved to Minnesota on Wednesday.
The Vikings shocked everyone by coming back twice in the fourth quarter to beat the Atlanta Falcons 31–28. It was their fourth straight win, giving them a 5–4 record.
“Hey everyone, how are you? “My name is Josh Dobbs,” Dobbs said Sunday after a legendary welcome during the game. “It’s an honor to work in Minnesota and give everyone my name.”
What a great game and team effort! There were some strange things going on that day for an NFL Sunday, that I know of.