QB Nick Mullens of the Minnesota Vikings had more passing yards in his first 19 starts than any player in NFL history—just three.
The former standout player at Spain Park High School has fallen behind Justin Herbert, Kurt Warner, and Patrick Mahomes in passing yards during that time, with 5,266. Both Mahomes and Herbert, the quarterbacks for the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, have been selected to the Pro Bowl in the past. The Pro Football Hall of Fame counts Warner among its members.
More than five years after his debut, Mullens is set to make his 20th NFL start on Sunday.
In their regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions, the Vikings will start Mullens at quarterback again, according to a statement made by Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell on Wednesday. Minnesota’s low chances of making the playoffs start with them winning this game.
Mullens started twice for Minnesota in December, making three quarterbacks on the field. He also made two relief appearances.When making his quarterback selection on Wednesday, O’Connell stated, “Nick has been very effective moving the team.” “When he’s been in there, our offense has been quite dynamic. Nick is aware that holding onto the football and not throwing it away is the one thing we need to concentrate on. He really needs to be an excellent decision-maker on some of those big downs, like third down and two-minute, when we’re kind of in that throw mode. He also needs to have faith in the other ten players to perform exceptionally well, and attempt to overcome the fact that we’re playing football on the road in a fantastic environment against a defense that is playing really, really good football.
In the eighth game of the season on October 29, Kirk Cousins suffered an Achilles tendon injury, which set off the Vikings quarterback carousel. When Cousins was sidelined for the season, Mullens would have been in the Minnesota starting lineup, but the Vikings had put him on injured reserve on October 11 due to a back injury.
Jarren Hall, a fifth-round rookie, started at quarterback after Cousins and Mullens were hurt. However, after 15 cracks in his
Hall left the first start to have a concussion evaluated. That left Josh Dobbs to play quarterback for Minnesota. This season, Dobbs started eight games for Arizona; however, on October 31, the Cardinals traded Dobbs to the Vikings in anticipation of Kyler Murray’s return off injured reserve.
On November 5, Dobbs replaced Hall in place of practice repetitions and led Minnesota to a 31-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Following a week of training, Dobbs triumphed once more on November 12 as the Vikings defeated the New Orleans Saints 27-19. However, setbacks against the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears ensued. On December 10, Mullens made his season debut, replacing Dobbs, and Minnesota was knotted 0-0 with the Las Vegas Raiders.
“I believe he possesses a strong understanding of the offensive principles and has accrued numerous reps as our backup during the past two years,” stated O’Connell. Even though he and Kirk are close, their preparation together has always been excellent, whether Nick is playing or not. We were confident in his ability to enter the game and lead the squad, having played and received genuine competitive reps. If we could just hold onto the ball for two, three, or four plays here and there, what would that mean for our team on that drive? Every game he has started has been fiercely competitive from start to finish.
Mullens has made 19 starts and 27 interceptions. Warner leads the three players ahead of him in throwing yards with 19 interceptions.
The Minnesota Wild returned to Hall on Sunday evening. However, with the rookie quarterback going 5-of-10 for 67 yards with one interception and a lost fumble at halftime and the Vikings behind the Green Bay Packers 10-0, Minnesota turned to Mullens in the second half of the game. The Packers won 33-10, despite Mullens completing 13 of 22 throws for 113 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions.
Mullens has 27 interceptions in 19 starts. Warner had 19 interceptions, more than the three guys in front of him combined in passing yards.
On Sunday night, the Minnesota Wild made their way back to Hall. However, with the Vikings trailing the Green Bay Packers 10-0 at the half and the rookie quarterback going 5-of-10 for 67 yards with one interception and a lost fumble, Minnesota turned to Mullens in the second half of the contest. Mullens completed 13 of 22 passes for 113 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions, but the Packers prevailed 33–10.
