Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell was being modest when he said Joshua Dobbs made his bad play calls work out on the field with his athleticism during the thrilling comeback victory against the Falcons last week.
O’Connell’s detailed plays and pointers that Dobbs heard through his helmet in his Vikings debut were as valuable as Google maps while driving in a foreign land. Or as Dobbs put it: he was in need of those long-winded instructions because it was as if he was taking an AP French exam after spending the entire year learning AP Spanish.
Dobbs wasn’t supposed to play vs. the Falcons because he had just arrived in Minnesota five days earlier after being traded by the Cardinals. But Vikings rookie quarterback Jaren Hall, who started in place of the injured Kirk Cousins, sustained a concussion early in the game and Dobbs was needed in the emergency situation.
“If you go in the game, it’s going to be you and your teammates, and I’ll be with you every step of the way,” O’Connell recalled telling Dobbs.
O’Connell had a hoarse voice for his postgame news conference because he spoke more than usual for his offensive play-calling duties. The Vikings’ second-year coach broke down the concept of every play, along with telling Dobbs where his teammates would line up on each side of the field. At times, O’Connell accurately predicted the type of coverages the Falcons were going to play in certain situations.
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But O'Connell's best call might have been his decision to go no-huddle to spend extra time communicating with Dobbs. His players didn’t need the huddle because they already knew the formations, which is a testament to O’Connell, his coaching staff and center Garrett Bradbury for being the on-field instructor.
O’Connell gave every player and coach a game ball after one of the more exciting games of the 2023 season. He should probably give himself one, too, because his guidance allowed Dobbs to be the improbable hero in Atlanta.
Here are other calls we liked from Week 9 of the NFL season—along with a few calls we didn’t like so much.
Calls we liked
Saints’ usage of Hill pays off
New Orleans offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. deserves plenty of credit for how he’s used Taysom Hill during the Saints’ two-game winning streak.
Hill’s versatility as a playmaker who can throw, catch and run has given the Saints (5–4) another element in their offense, especially as a red-zone threat. Hill threw a three-yard touchdown and caught a two-yard touchdown during New Orleans’ 24–17 win against the Bears.
Hill was used properly during the final years of the Drew Brees era, but he struggled to make an impact with Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton as the quarterbacks the past few seasons. The Saints, who sit in first place in the NFC South, now have a productive balance with Derek Carr and Hill.
Texans’ second-half adjustments
A confident C.J. Stroud said he told his coaches “give me the ball, call the plays” before the Texans marched down the field for the game-winning touchdown drive against the Buccaneers with less than a minute left in regulation.
Stroud made the plays like he promised, but credit to Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik for calling the right plays throughout the second half. Houston was down 20–10 in the third quarter before the offense took off, despite having minimal success with the running game. It’s not easy being one-dimensional against a very good Buccaneers defense, but Slowik’s play-calling and Stroud’s pinpoint accuracy saved the day.
Calls we questioned
Rams fail to add quality backup before facing Packers
On Tuesday, the Rams signed Carson Wentz, a quarterback they could have used during last week’s loss against the Packers.
Brett Rypien started in place of the injured Matthew Stafford and the Rams went on to score three points and had 187 yards in Green Bay. The Rams quickly waived Rypien after adding Wentz, the 2016 No. 2 pick.
The Rams (3–6) probably went with Rypien because he’s been in the building most of the season, and now Wentz can get acclimated as the team’s backup during the bye week. But those excuses shouldn’t fly after what Dobbs did for the Vikings, and what Baker Mayfield did for the Rams last season during the Thursday Night Football win against the Raiders.
Also, the Rams could have added Wentz a long time ago, especially with rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett on the reserve/non-football illness list.
Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports
Dolphins go away from Mostert
Miami’s passing game struggled vs. the Chiefs’ standout defense during last week’s loss in Germany. But they had a bright spot in running back Raheem Mostert, who averaged 7.1 yards per carry.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel made the head-scratching decision to go away from Mostert on the final drive of the game with a seven-point deficit. Mostert got Miami to Kansas City’s 31-yard line after runs of 25 yards and 19 yards.
From there, McDaniel, who had two timeouts left, called four consecutive pass plays before Tua Tagovailoa fumbled to seal the win for the Chiefs.
Titans go away from Levis in critical drive
Many Titans fans were frustrated by offensive coordinator Tim Kelly’s decision to call three consecutive runs instead of trusting Will Levis’s arm on the team’s second-to-last drive in the loss against the Steelers on Thursday.
It was only Levis’s second career start, but the rookie had already proven he was capable of making downfield plays against the Steelers’ stout defense. He finished the game with 22 completions on 39 attempts for 262 yards. But when Tennessee took over at midfield with under four minutes to play trailing, 20–16, the offense ran three times for six yards before an incomplete pass from Levis on fourth-and-4.
