Some major Minnesota Vikings news dropped on Tuesday when the team announced that quarterback Nick Mullens will start in Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
A day after Kevin O'Connell said he needed some more time to look at the film before making a quarterback switch, the second-year head coach broke some Minnesota Vikings news on Tuesday when he announced that Nick Mullens will be taking over as the team's starting signal-caller this Saturday for the Week 15 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
With the decision, Josh Dobbs will move to the bench, and according to O'Connell, the team will decide later this week about who will be the No. 2 quarterback for the Bengals game.
Mullens has been in the NFL since 2017, and he's started 17 games in his career, posting a 5-12 record in those 17 matchups. Mullens replaced Dobbs in the fourth quarter of the Vikings' win over the Las Vegas Raiders this past Sunday, and he led Minnesota on their only scoring drive of the contest.
Vikings News: Minnesota rolling with Nick Mullens as their starting QB for Week 15
Mullens has been a member of the Vikings since the team made a trade with the Raiders to acquire him right before the start of the 2022 season. Saturday will be his first start in a Minnesota uniform, but he has appeared in five games for the team since the start of the 2022 campaign.
In those five appearances, he's completed 78.9 percent of his passes for 307 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, which has resulted in a 98.1 passer rating. Mullens has also never been sacked during any of his five appearances with the Vikings.
It's unfortunate news for Dobbs, but the magic that he had during the beginning of his tenure with Minnesota this season was nowhere to be found in the team's last two games.
This decision had to be made, and now, the Vikings will see if Mullens can lead them to a second-straight playoff berth and a potential NFC North title for the second season in a row as well.