Josh Dobbs to Remain Vikings' QB1 vs. Raiders Despite Struggles in Bears Loss

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell announced Wednesday that Joshua Dobbs will start Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Dobbs led the Vikings to wins in each of his first two games with the team after they acquired him from the Arizona Cardinals, but he has since lost two in a row.

Prior to last week's bye, Dobbs and the offense struggled mightily in a 12-10 loss to the Chicago Bears, as Dobbs went 22-of-32 for 185 yard with one touchdown and four interceptions.

After the loss to Chicago, O'Connell said he would evaluate the quarterback position and consider all options for their next game.

Minnesota lost veteran starting quarterback Kirk Cousins for the season due to an Achilles tear, which was the impetus behind them trading for Dobbs. Rookie Jaren Hall started the first game after the Dobbs trade, but he left with a concussion, so Dobbs stepped in and led the Vikes to a come-from-behind win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Hall has cleared concussion protocol and veteran quarterback Nick Mullens is back from injured reserve, which gave O'Connell multiple choices before settling on giving Dobbs at least one more opportunity as the starter.

The 28-year-old Dobbs is the definition of a journeyman, as he has thrown passes for four different teams since 2020 and has spent time on seven different teams' rosters during his NFL career.

Dobbs made his first two career starts with the Tennessee Titans last season, and he has seen the most extensive action of his career by far this season, starting 11 games.

He began the campaign as the Cardinals' starting quarterback with Kyler Murray on IR while recovering from a torn ACL. Dobbs went 1-7 in eight starts for the Cards, completing 62.8 percent of his passes for 1,569 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions, plus 258 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Dobbs has since appeared in four games and made three starts for Minnesota, going 1-2 and completing 66.4 percent of his passing attempts for 832 yards, five touchdowns and five picks to go along with 142 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Although he is coming off his worst performance of the season, Dobbs arguably remains the Vikings' best option, and there could be help on the way for him as well.

Superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who has been on IR with a hamstring injury and has missed the team's past seven games, is lining up to return Sunday after being activated off injured reserve.

Jefferson's return would give Dobbs a full allotment of weapons along with tight end T.J. Hockenson and rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison against a 5-7 Raiders team that the Vikings should be able to beat in their pursuit of a playoff spot.