The Minnesota Vikings saw the highs and lows of Nick Mullens in a Week 15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Mullens did throw for 303 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions inside the Bengals’ 25-yard line and would have thrown a pick-six had it not been for an offsides call on Trey Hendrickson.
Mullens’ situational awareness, tossing the ball into the lap of Cincinnati defensive line B.J. Hill, and recklessness proved costly with the Vikings leaving points on the board. The game had the makings of a blowout if Mullens could capitalize, but instead, it led to an eventual 27-24 overtime loss on Saturday, December 16.
This isn’t a knock on Mullens. He played well and could be enough to get the Vikings to the playoffs, but he offers little optimism for anything more.
But at this stage of the season, Minnesota has become one of 29 NFL teams since 1950 to start four different quarterbacks in a single season after losing Kirk Cousins to injury. The Vikings have seen what they can get out of Josh Dobbs and Mullens — but one quarterback remains a mystery.
SKOR North’s Judd Zulgad, formerly with the Star Tribune, urged Minnesota to bench Mullens and start Jaren Hall against the Detroit Lions on December 24 to see what they have in the fifth-round rookie.
The Case for Vikings to Bench Nick Mullens for Jaren Hall
On a December 17 episode of the “Mackey and Judd” podcast, Zulgad stated his case for Hall with the hopes that the rookie quarterback could take better care of the football than Mullens did.
“The second interception that Mullens threw is one of the worst I have ever seen from an NFL quarterback — he literally spiked the ball into a defender’s chest,” Zulgad said. “Hall might be in over his skis, I know he’s a project, he’s a fifth-round pick, there’s a lot of reasons not to play him.
“But after what I saw (from Mullens)… I’m going to give Jaren Hall a look. He deserves it. In 14 plays against the Falcons, before he was concussed, there was nothing he did where I’m like ‘This kid looks like he’s lost.’ Do I want to do this? Do I want to say this? No, but I can’t take what I saw against the Bengals.
While the sample size is small, Hall looked sharp in his start against the Atlanta Falcons before he took a hit that landed him in concussion protocol.
Meanwhile, Mullens is established in the NFL as a backup and spot starter. Mullens’ career interception rate of 3.6% would lead the NFL this season, and since joining the Vikings, he has thrown an interception in three of four games in which he’s attempted more than seven passes.
Jaren Hall’s Upside is Undiscovered
While Mullens is the safer option with the Vikings’ playoff hopes hanging at 51.2%, per ESPN, he’s not going to inspire any hopes of making a run with a 5-13 career record.
Hall is the only stone left unturned in Minnesota and offers some upside mobility that would be helpful considering the injuries on the offensive line.
The rookie quarterback seems to be the middle ground between Dobbs and Mullens, which may be the exact balance Kevin O’Connell needs from his quarterback.
