Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs named NFC Offensive Player of the Week
Joshua Dobbs #15 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter of the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 05, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Joshua Dobbs is still getting his bearings with the Minnesota Vikings, but he was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday.
After five days being on the team, Dobbs was thrust into action last Sunday at the Atlanta Falcons when Jaren Hall went down with a concussion late in the first quarter. Dobbs accounted for 224 total yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings got a 31-28 win over the Falcons to improve to 5-4 on the season.
The Vikings have won four straight and five of their past six since an 0-3 start.
Dobbs threw for 158 yards and two touchdowns, including leading the Vikings on a 75-yard scoring drive in the final two minutes that ended with hitting Brandon Powell for the game-winning touchdown. Dobbs also ran for 66 yards and an 18-yard touchdown.
"It was pretty cool just the nature of how it all happened. It was a really cool moment. It was a very surreal moment, definitely something I’ll remember for a long time," Dobbs said Wednesday at TCO Performance Center.
"Pretty special for him, NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Really having been here such a short time, really cool to tell the team about that in the team meeting and just how excited they got for him. My challenge to him is to pick up where he left off on Sunday," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said.
Amid all the celebrating after the win on Sunday, defensive lineman Harrison Phillips put Dobbs on his shoulders after game balls were handed out.
"I actually told Dobbs before the game, I was like ‘Man this is the type of game that will change your whole life.’ Sure enough it did," Phillips said. "Very well-deserved. In the short time I’ve spent with him, he seems like a remarkable individual. He went out there and proved that we can have all the confidence in the world in him."
So how has life changed for Dobbs since leading the comeback after being traded from Arizona last week? He's living in the hotel across the pond from the Vikings' practice facility, and his car made it from Arizona to Minnesota.
"As of now it’s still pretty much the same, still living out of a suitcase across the street. My car made it from Arizona, so we’ll piecemeal life outside the building together. If we don’t show up and play next week, then no one cares about last week," Dobbs said.
This marks Minnesota’s third NFC honor this season, third in the last four weeks and first on offense.
With Hall still in the concussion protocol, Dobbs will get the start on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
WHAT HAPPENS IF DOBBS GETS INJURED?
Dobb's journey to the Vikings and last Sunday's game are great stories, but what happens if he goes down Sunday against the Saints? Kirk Cousins is out for the year, and Nick Mullens has not been cleared to return from IR to practice due to a back injury.
Jaren Hall did not practice Wednesday, as he's still in the concussion protocol. If Dobbs has to leave the game, Sean Mannion is in line to be the back-up quarterback. O'Connell said Wednesday the Vikings have several players they're looking at to be the emergency quarterback, now that Cam Akers is out for the season.