Vikings to start Mullens over Dobbs at QB vs. Bengals

The Minnesota Vikings are making a change at quarterback.

Minnesota will start Nick Mullens over Joshua Dobbs in Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the team announced Tuesday.

Mullens will be the Vikings' fourth different starter this season.

The team began the campaign with Kirk Cousins, but the four-time Pro Bowler went down with a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 8. Minnesota - which acquired Dobbs in October at the trade deadline - then started rookie Jaren Hall in Week 9. However, he left the contest early after suffering a concussion, which forced the Vikings to turn to Dobbs on short notice.

Dobbs stole headlines thanks to strong performances in his first games with Minnesota but the journeyman quarterback hasn't been able to replicate that success in the past two weeks. He threw four interceptions in a loss to the Chicago Bears and had only 63 passing yards before being replaced by Mullens in the second half of Sunday's 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Mullens helped Minnesota claim the winning field goal after Dobbs left the matchup without leading any scoring drives.

It'll be Mullens' first start since his Week 15 appearance with the Cleveland Browns in 2021. The 28-year-old joined the Vikings in a 2022 trade from the Raiders. He previously made 16 starts from 2018-20 as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.

The 7-6 Vikings are currently the No. 6 seed in the NFC.

It's unclear if Mullens will have top receiver Justin Jefferson available in Week 15, as the reigning Offensive Player of the Year left Week 14 with a chest injury. Coach Kevin O'Connell said on Monday that there's a "good chance" Jefferson faces Cincy.

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