In the aftermath of a backbreaking loss to the\u00a0Detroit Lions\u00a0on Christmas Eve, the\u00a0Minnesota Vikings\u00a0are considering their future with quarterback\u00a0Nick Mullens.<\/p>\n

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Pro Football Talk\u2019s Mike Florio reported\u00a0on Tuesday, December 26, that the Vikings are considering benching Mullens for rookie\u00a0Jaren Hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cPer a source with knowledge of the situation, the Vikings are taking a long look at whether Mullens should be benched for rookie Jaren Hall,\u201d Florio wrote.<\/p>\n

Vikings Quietly Reconsider Change to QB Jaren Hall<\/h2>\n

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Getty<\/span>Quarterback Jaren Hall of the Minnesota Vikings throws the ball in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals in a preseason game at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 26, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.(Photo by Adam Bettcher\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Florio\u2019s report shows a shift from the feeling in U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s Kevin Seifert reported after the game that he \u201cheard nothing to suggest\u201d that Mullens wouldn\u2019t be the starter in Week 17 against the\u00a0Green Bay Packers\u00a0after he threw four interceptions against the Lions \u2014 including a game-ending interception in the final minute that handed Detroit a 30-24 victory and the NFC North division title.<\/p>\n

In two starts, Mullens has led the Vikings offense to an average of 407 yards per game but has also thrown six interceptions in two close losses.<\/p>\n

A fifth-round pick last April, Hall made a Week 9 start in place of Mullens, who would have taken the starting spot when\u00a0Kirk Cousins\u00a0went down with an Achilles injury on October 29.<\/p>\n

Hall looked sharp, completing 5-of-6 pass attempts for 78 yards before he took a hit that knocked him out of the game, thrusting\u00a0Josh Dobbs\u00a0into a spot start.<\/p>\n

After Mullens relieved Josh Dobbs and led a game-winning scoring drive against the\u00a0Las Vegas Raiders\u00a0in Week 14, ESPN\u2019s Jeremy Fowler\u00a0reported on December 15\u00a0that the Vikings like Hall\u2019s upside and could turn to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Vikings want to bring Hall along slowly, but they like his upside and poise,\u201d Fowler wrote. \u201c\u2026If Mullens cools down, Hall will be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a four-year,\u00a0$4.1 million rookie deal, Hall is the only quarterback under contract beyond the 2024 season, and it would serve the Vikings to get a better look at him after almost a year in the system.<\/p>\n

The final decision at quarterback will be vital with the Vikings holding a 19.2% chance of making the postseason, per\u00a0ESPN\u2019s Power Index, and virtually needing to win out to guarantee a playoff spot.<\/p>\n

Kevin O\u2019Connell will likely address the report in his Tuesday news conference with a decision likely to be made in the coming days.<\/p>\n

Vikings\u2019 Nick Mullens: \u2018I Believe I\u2019m a Very Good QB\u2019<\/h2>\n

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Getty<\/span>Nick Mullens #12 of the Minnesota Vikings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The one certainty Mullens has shown throughout his career is that he is confident in himself \u2014 almost to a fault.<\/p>\n

The sixth-year veteran has a gunslinger mentality and has shown in his past two starts that he believes he can fit the ball into some windows he should not be chasing. He generally knows where to throw the ball and has kept the offense productive after they stalled with Dobbs.<\/p>\n

But his errors against the Lions were largely a misperception of his arm strength. He said on his final interception that he had the option of either leading\u00a0Justin Jefferson\u00a0or hitting him on the spot.<\/p>\n

Mullens tried to rifle the ball to Jefferson on his spot, but the ball floated and wobbled through the air and into the arms of a Detroit safety.<\/p>\n

If he remains the starter, he must take a good look in the mirror and understand<\/p>\n

\u201cI just have to take the next step. I believe I\u2019m a very good quarterback, but what does it take to make the next step?\u201d\u00a0Mullens said\u00a0in his postgame news conference, adding that ball placement was his prime struggle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the aftermath of a backbreaking loss to the\u00a0Detroit Lions\u00a0on Christmas Eve, the\u00a0Minnesota Vikings\u00a0are considering their future with quarterback\u00a0Nick Mullens. Pro Football Talk\u2019s Mike Florio reported\u00a0on Tuesday,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nfl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nflnhungn.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nflnhungn.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nflnhungn.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nflnhungn.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nflnhungn.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nflnhungn.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75050\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nflnhungn.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nflnhungn.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nflnhungn.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}