This has certainly been a week that Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs will never forget.
After being traded to the Vikings from the Arizona Cardinals right before Oct. 31’s trade deadline, Dobbs wasn’t expected to see the field for Minnesota this week as he was still learning the offense.
But rookie quarterback Jaren Hall left the game in the first quarter with a concussion, Dobbs’ number was called. And he certainly was ready.
Dobbs finished the day 20-for-30 with 158 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns, adding a rushing touchdown along the way as Minnesota came away with an improbable 31-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta took a 28-24 lead near the two-minute warning but made a critical error in doing so, leaving too much time for Dobbs to respond. He did just that, leading the Vikings down the field. A critical play on that drive was a fourth down conversion. It looked like Dobbs would be sacked. He not only avoided that but scrambled for a 22-yard gain, getting Minnesota into the Atlanta red zone.
With 20 seconds to go, Dobbs found Brandon Powell in the end zone for the game-winning score.
That touchdown was set up by this fourth-down conversion.
It looked like Dobbs would be sacked but he broke free and scrambled for a 22-yard run. pic.twitter.com/A8ViYgQgJi
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) November 5, 2023
The Vikings improved to 5-4 with the victory, as they head to New Orleans next week to face the Saints. This time, Dobbs will have a full week to prepare, which will give him an opportunity to do things like take actual reps with the offense or learn his teammates’ names, something that ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported Dobbs didn’t get a chance to do this week.
Incredible stories from the Vikings' locker room today. Josh Dobbs didn't take a single rep with the offense in practice. No snaps from Garrett Bradbury. Had never thrown passes to anyone, and didn't know most of their full names. "That's for next week," he said.
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) November 5, 2023
Social media had a lot to say about Dobbs’ big Minnesota debut.
Josh Dobbs always finds himself inserted into games in the same manner that a chef on Chopped has to start cooking seconds after opening the basket
— Patrick Claybon (@PatrickClaybon) November 5, 2023
Josh Dobbs showed up to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport with a beanie and a bubble coat 5 days ago and he just led a game winning TD drive for the Vikings.
The NFL is a hilarious league bruh.
— Muhammad Alinked-in (@PBSImpulse9) November 5, 2023
They better get that Joshua Dobbs jersey over at the @Vikings Team Store!
— Kyle Rudolph (@KyleRudolph) November 5, 2023
If Josh Dobbs traveled the country playing exactly one game for every team he'd be a first ballot Hall of Famer
— Céad Míle Fáilte (@ColeyMick) November 5, 2023
