Vikings send strong message to Josh Dobbs with Week 15 decision

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell announced on Thursday that Jaren Hall will be the team's No. 2 quarterback for Week 15 and not Josh Dobbs.

A few weeks ago, Minnesota Vikings were rallying around Josh Dobbs after the quarterback was able to lead them to wins over the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, despite the fact that he was with the team for less than a month.

But now, the excitement that surrounded Dobbs during the early part of his tenure with the Vikings has officially run out after an announcement that was made on Thursday.

After making the switch to Nick Mullens as the team's starting quarterback earlier in the week, Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell revealed on Thursday that instead of Dobbs being the team's No. 2 signal-caller on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals, he will be the Vikings' No. 3 quarterback for the matchup.

Minnesota Vikings rolling with rookie as their No. 2 QB for Week 15 over Josh Dobbs

It's certainly disappointing news for Dobbs to hear, but it's clear that O'Connell doesn't believe he has a good enough grasp on Minnesota's offense yet.

It's not really a shot at Dobbs though, since he's only been with the Vikings since he was acquired right before this year's trade deadline on October 31. He hasn't even had two months to learn Minnesota's playbook yet, while the team's other two quarterbacks have been learning the offense for at least seven months.

So, on Saturday in Cincinnati, Dobbs is going to be listed as one of the Vikings' inactive players. However, he will still suit up, and he will be Minnesota's emergency quarterback in case Mullens and Hall both suffer injuries that require them to leave the game early.

Dobbs provided Vikings fans with a number of memorable moments during his first few weeks with the team. But now, Minnesota has to do what is best for the team in order to reach this season's playoffs, and sitting the guy now known as the "Passtronaut" is something they felt they needed to do.