After mulling over the decision for the past few days, head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed that rookie quarterback Jaren Hall will start for the Vikings when they play host to the rival Green Bay Packers on New Year’s Eve.
“There’s a lot of reasons why we brought Jaren here, having to do with his ability and what we look forward to seeing come to life,” O’Connell said. “Just giving Jaren a full week of preparation and clear-cut mindset on the game plan, I’m excited to see what he can ultimately do.”
This means veteran quarterback Nick Mullens has been benched after starting the past two games for the Vikings. The decision comes after Mullens threw four interceptions in a 30-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve. He also threw two interceptions in a 27-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals a couple of weeks ago.
As much as O’Connell appreciated how Mullens helped the offense be explosive, he couldn’t look past the turnovers, noting, “We have to maintain possession of the football.”
That has been easier said than done with Mullens and journeyman Josh Dobbs seemingly incapable of limiting turnovers, which, in turn, has given Hall another kick at the can.
The most interesting part of this whole equation is the fact that, when franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins was injured a couple of months ago, Hall actually got the first chance at being his replacement. He came on in relief in a 24-10 win over Packers in Green Bay, then made the first start of his NFL career the next game in a 31-28 win over the Falcons in Atlanta.
The only problem is Hall only played a couple of series against the Falcons before suffering a concussion on a scramble near the goal line. That knocked him out of the game, and he finished his brief appearance 5 for 6 passing for 78 yards.
Leave a Reply