Following an ugly 12-10 loss against the Chicago Bears, the Minnesota Vikings faced a potential quarterback conundrum. Head coach Kevin O’Connell was non-committal to Joshua Dobbs, the quarterback that the Vikings had traded for right before the Oct. 31 trade deadline. After a miraculous last-minute comeback to top the Atlanta Falcons and a fantastic first-half against the New Orleans Saints, it appeared that the “Passtronaut” had finally returned to Earth. After sitting at 6-4, the Vikings dropped their next two games despite allowing only one total touchdown against the overachieving Denver Broncos and porous Chicago Bears.

So with a late Week 13 bye week, O’Connell had to decide what was best for his middling 6-6 team. It was too early to wave the white flag and start rookie fifth-round quarterback Jaren Hall. But was it too late to start journeyman backup Nick Mullens? Fans’ opinions were all over the board. But on Wednesday, O’Connell announced that Dobbs would indeed make his fourth consecutive start for the Vikings. Any decision would have been scrutinized. However, starting Dobbs against the Las Vegas Raiders made the most sense in the short- and long-term.

3 Reasons Starting Josh Dobbs Against The Raiders Makes Sense

Continuity

O’Connell and his staff have made a mad scramble to evolve their offense since Kirk Cousins went down with an Achilles injury on Oct. 29. The team had to adopt an offense that suited Hall, the rookie from BYU, the following week. Unfortunately, their gameplan fell apart faster than it was constructed, as Hall was injured on the Vikings’ second offensive drive against the Falcons. Although Dobbs turned the ball over three times in Atlanta, he ultimately led the stunning comeback.

The following Sunday, it appeared that the Vikings had something at quarterback. Dobbs threw one passing touchdown and ran in another as Minnesota jumped out to a 24-3 halftime lead against the New Orleans Saints. The threat of Dobbs’ scrambling ability helped in the Vikings’ other touchdown when Dobbs motioned out wide to the right, only for running back Ty Chandler to take the direct snap and run in for a touchdown.

Although Dobbs has turned the ball over seven times in the past two games, it’s important to remember that the Vikings held leads late in both games. Sure, the Vikings’ offense had opportunities to ice each game. But Dobbs did help lead the offense to points on both occasions. O’Connell has tried morphing an offense that featured Cousins, a precise-yet-immobile quarterback into a mobile-friendly operation that better suits Dobbs’ strengths. Hall and second-string quarterback Nick Mullens don’t offer Dobbs’ playmaking ability on the ground and would further alter the Vikings’ offense.

Justin Jefferson’s return

After missing the past seven games with a hamstring injury, superstar wideout Justin Jefferson is set to make his return against the Raiders. The Vikings’ passing game hasn’t been the same since Cousins went down, but getting Jefferson back should affect coverages. The idea is that if more attention is allocated towards Jefferson, the more open other receivers should be open.

This affects Dobbs more than Hall or Mullens. As stated above, Dobbs is a much more dynamic scrambler than the other two. While the Broncos and Bears did all that they could to keep Dobbs in the pocket, would they have had the same success if they had to worry about Jefferson terrorizing their secondary? He can attack defenses at every level of the field and is one of the league’s premier playmakers.

Because of all this, it may have been unfair to pull Dobbs with the team’s greatest playmaker making his return. Sure, Dobbs hasn’t always been the best decision-maker during his short stint in Minnesota. But Mullens hasn’t proven to be a pure game-manager, and Hall is still too young to fully trust with a limited receiving corps. Perhaps Dobbs won’t have to feel the need to be Superman if Jefferson is affecting secondaries.

Locker room stability

It is easy to clamor for your favorite team to “tank” and fall into a high draft pick, snagging a generational talent in the upcoming NFL draft. But as of the end of Week 13, the Vikings own the NFC’s No.6 seed in the playoff picture. Can they do substantial damage in a conference that boasts the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles? Maybe not. But what message would it send it O’Connell and his staff mailed it in this week and started a rookie that was within striking distance of being a sixth-round pick?

The other option would have been to turn to Mullens, the seventh-year journeyman out of Southern Miss. But Mullens missed substantial time with a back injury. Had the injury never occurred, Dobbs may not be a Viking. But the reality is that Mullens’ absence led to Dobbs coming to Minnesota and filling in for Hall. Although the hysteria that followed his first two games has simmered, Dobbs has still shown he is a capable backup.

Inserting Mullens into the starting lineup would have been a gamble in itself. First, the Vikings staff would be betting on his back to be fully healthy. Although I trust that their training staff is more than capable, back injuries can be a tricky. Second, the staff would be expecting that not only would Mullens protect the ball better, but would make the offense move the ball better. What message would it send if Mullens was ineffective? With a playoff spot on the line, would they insert Hall? Or would they go back to Dobbs? This kind of indecisiveness can cause division in the locker room, as we have seen with the New York Jets this season.

If Dobbs were to underperform again and turn the ball over, it’d be much more forgivable to bench him in favor of Mullens or Hall over the team’s final four games. But removing and then re-inserting Dobbs into the starting lineup could cause angst in the locker room. O’Connell has been a player’s coach since Day 1, and by sticking with Dobbs, he is showing that he will be consistent, no matter the circumstances.