EAGAN, Minnesota – The Minnesota Vikings are poised to give quarterback Nick Mullens his second consecutive start against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Mullens completed 26 of 33 throws for 303 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings fell 27-24 in overtime against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. He threw two interceptions in the second quarter to stymie scoring chances, but he mostly followed coach Kevin O’Connell’s strategy of sending the ball downfield to wide receivers. Jordan Addison grabbed six passes for 111 yards and both touchdowns as a rookie, while Justin Jefferson caught seven passes for 84 yards in his first game since Week 4.
O’Connell did not name Mullens as his starter moving forward on Saturday, but he left no mistake about his opinion of his performance.
“The biggest thing is Nick showed he can execute our offense and really move the football team,” stated O’Connell. “I think what we’ve got to continue to work through are those plays where we don’t try to do too much.”
Mullens began the season as the Vikings’ backup quarterback to Kirk Cousins, but he was placed on injured reserve with a back issue when Cousins ruptured his right Achilles in Week 8. The Vikings used rookie Jarrett Hall once, then newcomer Joshua Dobbs for four games before going to Mullens, who was activated from injured reserve on November 18.
Mullens made his 18th NFL start on Saturday. In those games, his clubs are 5-13.
