With playoff hopes fading, the Vikings should give Jaren Hall a chance to save the season.
The Minnesota Vikings’ playoff hopes may still be mathematically alive, but they really blew their chances with a 30-24 home loss to the Detroit Lions. According to the New York Times, Minnesota has only a 26 percent chance of reaching the playoffs.
Even if the Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers in the United States If they were to beat Bank Stadium and then pull off the upset on the road against the Lions, they would still need outside help to secure a playoff spot. Minnesota’s next two games seem meaningless in some ways.
What’s the point of changing the quarterback if the Vikings’ playoff chances are on life support? Why not tackle it with Nick Mullens now? The Vikings may still be in the hunt, but all they can do is win and hope for the best.
It’s a completely helpless situation to be in, which begs the question: “What do you do when you can’t do anything, but you can’t do anything?””Do what you can.
“The Vikings may find themselves in a situation where they have very little control over their destiny as far as the playoffs go, but that shouldn’t stop them from doing everything they can to win these final two games, even if that means Hall would have to start for years when he doesn’t there’s no guarantee he’ll be better than Nick Mullens.
What we know is that Nick Mullens is an average backup quarterback. As a passer he does just enough to keep his job on a weekly basis, but not enough to elevate the talent around him.
Mullens topped 400 yards against the Detroit Lions, but for every 100 yards Mullens threw with a turnover. At best, Nick was merely neutral for the Vikings. At worst, he’s the reason Minnesota has lost their last two games.
Now would you ask a low upside backup QB to take his team to the next level without T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison, when he has shown an inability to elevate the offense even when Hockenson and Addison are healthy.
The Vikings could easily lose both games with Jaren Hall under center, and he could end up looking terrible.
However, we won’t know until it happens. If Jaren Hall is inserted in place of Nick Mullens, it would send a much-needed message to fans: the status quo is not good enough. Just because Nick Mullens was helpful doesn’t mean the organization should play it safe if they have nothing to lose.
Can Kevin O’Connell still be proud of his performance as head coach this season if he hasn’t explored every possible option at quarterback? Minnesota will face two division rivals, and in addition to staying in the playoffs, their pride is on the line.
The Packers are trying to eliminate the Vikings and retain some semblance of pride. The same goes for the Lions, who want nothing more than to beat their division rival twice.
The Vikings’ playoff hopes may be fading, but that shouldn’t stop Kevin O’Connell from doing what he can to keep the Vikings’ playoff hopes alive. Even if it means turning to a rookie quarterback to save the season.
