Josh Dobbs to remain Vikings starting QB against Raiders

Some doubt was prevalent after his last performance, but Josh Dobbs will continue starting for the Minnesota Vikings following their bye week.

The journeyman quarterback endeared himself to Vikings fans when he first arrived in Minnesota, defeating the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. However, a loss to the Denver Broncos and a rough showing against the Chicago Bears gave the team some pause entering their bye week.

Instead of looking elsewhere, Vikings leader Kevin O’Connell has decided to stick with Dobbs for this weekend’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

“Vikings’ HC Kevin O’Connell told reporters that Josh Dobbs will start Sunday,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday.

Alas, that’s different from what O’Connell said before the bye week, where he said, “We’re going to take a look, you know, really evaluate the inventory of plays now we have of Josh.”

Evidently, the Vikings saw enough to make them confident in Dobbs leading their team for the immediate future, especially with star wide receiver Justin Jefferson likely returning to the fold this week.

Meanwhile, the other options outside of Dobbs aren’t exactly plentiful for Minnesota. Of course, this was all kicked off by Kirk Cousins being out for the season after tearing his Achilles last month.

Former BYU star Jaren Hall, a rookie, still is available after losing his chance due to injury. Additionally, the Vikings have Nick Mullens, who served as Cousins’ backup. Mullens had been on injured reserve, but he’s healthy now.

The biggest problem for Dobbs since arriving in Minnesota has been turnovers. Dobbs has committed eight of them, three fumbles and five interceptions, in his four games in Minnesota. The Vikings rank 31st out of 32 teams with two turnovers per game. 

“I acknowledge [the interceptions], man,” Dobbs told reporters, following Minnesota’s most recent contest. “I’m frustrated with myself because it starts with me. I’ll be better from it. I’ll learn from every single one of them tonight, and we’ll use it to build momentum into the next opportunity.”

Against the Bears, O’Connell conceded that he thought about pulling Dobbs during the game. Ultimately, he didn’t do so. Dobbs did lead the Vikings to the fourth-quarter touchdown. But on his final drive, Dobbs and the Vikings suffered through a three-and-out.

Will it work out better for Josh Dobbs and the Minnesota Vikings now that he’s had some extra time with the team, and Justin Jefferson is returning to the fold? All signs point in that direction, but we’ll see if the quarterback is able to pull it off.

On3’s Suzanne Haliburton contributed to this article.