Vikings Thinking Seriously About Starting Jaren Hall Over Nick Mullens vs Packers

Nick Mullens may have played too close to the flames, in his two starts as Minnesota Vikings quarterback. Mullens threw for 411 yards in week 16 vs the Detroit Lions, a top-15 performance in franchise history, from a passing yards standpoint. But… he threw 4 interceptions vs just 2 touchdowns, too, and the Vikings lost.

Minnesota Vikings may bench QB Nick Mullens, start Jaren Hall

When you’re a replacement QB who throws six total interceptions in two-straight losses, your job and NFL career are probably in jeopardy. And, according to Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk.com), that’s the case for Nick Mullens too. Florio reports that the Vikings are “taking a long look” at replacing Mullens with rookie, Jaren Hall.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Vikings are taking a long look at whether Mullens should be benched for rookie Jaren Hall.

Mike Florio – ProFootballTalk.com

If O’Connell makes the move (again) at quarterback, he’d be throwing his 5th round rookie QB into quite a fire. Not only are the hated rival Green Bay Packers coming to U.S. Bank Stadium this weekend.

Both teams have 7-8 records so the loser of this week 17 matchup can give up on any remaining postseason hopes and, instead, start planning their offseason vacations. No pressure…

Related: Minnesota Vikings Playoff Odds – Week 17

Jaren Hall’s first attempt at starting quarterback

If the job on Sunday night is indeed passed to Hall, it wouldn’t be his first start. Back in week 10 vs the Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings were forced into starting the youngster out of BYU, after Kirk Cousins went down with a torn achilles.

At that time, Josh Dobbs was the only other healthy QB on roster and he had only been on the team for a few days, after being acquired via trade with the Arizona Cardinals. Hall’s tenure as starting QB only lasted two drives, though. The first ended in a 3-and-out. But in his second attempt, Hall led the offense down on an impressive drive that ended in a score.

Related: Justin Jefferson Talks About How Much Vikings Miss Kirk Cousins

Unfortunately, the score was only a field goal, after Jaren was stopped short of the goal line trying to scramble into the end zone. The real disappointment came at the end of that tackle, when the back of Jaren’s head smashed into the turf, concussing the 25-year-old and ending his time as Minnesota’s QB1.

Kevin O’Connell has a press conference scheduled for 2:00 PM. I’d guess this topic will be on the agenda.