In the last 20-plus years of Vikings history, any season in which Minnesota has been forced to use three different starting quarterbacks has been indicative either of a plan that went off the rails or one that was poorly considered from the jump.
Vikings in uncharted territory with four QBs — plus a chance, still, to win
It's been 36 years since the Vikings made the playoffs in a season during which they used three different starting quarterbacks. This year, they have a chance to do it with four.
December 13, 2023 at 6:17PM
And it has also meant a lot of losses.
The likes of Spergon Wynn (2001), Kelly Holcomb (2007), Joe Webb (2010), Josh Freeman (2013) and Christian Ponder (2014) were all more-or-less emergency options in the last five — before this year — seasons in which the Vikings used three starting quarterbacks. The Vikings were .500 or worse in all those years and didn't make the playoffs in any.
In all, the Vikings have had 11 seasons when they used three starting quarterbacks, and just three of them ended in playoff trips — the most recent coming in 1987 when Tommy Kramer, Wade Wilson and strike replacement Tony Adams all started at least three games and the Vikings reached the NFC title game.
All of that history, of course, leads us to the completely uncharted and definitely unusual 2023 season, which I talked about on Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast.
Assuming Nick Mullens — who on Tuesday was named the starter for Saturday's game against the Bengals — does indeed start that game, he will be the fourth different QB to start a game for the Vikings this season.
Kirk Cousins (eight), Joshua Dobbs (four) and Jaren Hall (one) are already on the books, and all three have been credited with at least one victory (Hall started the Atlanta game and gets the win, even though Dobbs relieved early after Hall's injury).
The Vikings haven't had three QBs get at least one win since 1983, when Wade Wilson, Tommy Kramer and Steve Dils did it.
And of course the Vikings have never had a season with four starting QBs, and Mullens rather hilariously (probably not funny to the Vikings) will be the fourth starter in the past seven games.
The stated plan at the beginning of this season — let the always-durable Cousins provide above-average play for above-average pay — was derailed in Week 8 with his season-ending Achilles injury.
But a year that started 1-4 (with Cousins) and could have crumbled without him is instead very much alive at 7-6.
If the Vikings win their final four games, they will win the NFC North. Even if they lose to the Bengals on Saturday but win their next two home games against the Lions and Packers, they will be virtual locks to make the playoffs as a wild card even if they lose their finale at Detroit.
Will Mullens start the last four games? Will Dobbs or Hall get another shot? Is there a scenario by which a fifth QB could get a start? Let's not rule anything out at this point.
Here are four more things to know today:
*An interesting aspect of the QB carousel: Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell did not name a backup QB for Saturday. Will Dobbs fall two spots on the depth chart?
*Also on Wednesday's podcast, Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins helped explain a very newsy stretch for Gophers football, including the departure of defensive coordinator Joe Rossi.
*I hope you have something in your life that you love as much as Patrick Reusse loves berating the Gophers men's basketball team for not scheduling St. Thomas.
*On Thursday's podcast, Star Tribune Timberwolves writer Chris Hine will join me to set up a tough month of games for Minnesota. The Wolves are at Dallas on Thursday.
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