LAS VEGAS – Nick Mullens took the snap, dropped back and threw a pass that should have been thrown about 40 minutes earlier.
It was deep, down the middle, slightly touched by a Raiders defender but nevertheless caught by T.J. Hockenson for a gain of 26 yards.
"I'm sure you can attest the tipped ball a little bit to beginner's luck," Mullens said. "But at the same time, just ready to play. It was exciting. I was glad to start off, I think the first play, with the pass. If you are going to go in [the game], you might as well go in."
It was the Vikings' longest offensive play of the game, a shot of adrenaline that was needed to revive an inept offense that was pulling the Purple to a third consecutive defeat.
Mullens was their lifeline on Sunday in a 3-0 victory over the Raiders — the first 3-0 game in the NFL since 2007 — that made retinas ache for all who watched Joshua Dobbs over the previous three and a half quarters. The Vikings have scored just one touchdown over their past two games; their offense needs to be seriously re-examined. Fortunately, their defense has not allowed a touchdown in their past two games.
At 7-6, the Vikings remain on track to reach the postseason as a wild card, but they were nearly derailed on Sunday because of their inability to find the end zone. When Mullens entered with 9 minutes, 10 seconds to play in the game, the many Vikings fans in attendance roared like Bono was taking the stage for a U2 concert at the Sphere across town.
Perhaps Mullens got the offense back on track. He reminded all of us that Hockenson and Jordan Addison were still on the field as he found them for nice gains. Mullens was 9-of-13 for 83 yards in that 9:10 and put the Vikings in position for Greg Joseph's winning 36-yard field goal with 1:57 to play.
Either Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell was a genius for waiting until the right moment to replace Dobbs with Mullens, or he gave too much leash to Dobbs. If you ask me, it's more the latter. There were thousands of people going all in at the various Las Vegas casinos. Why wait?