Current:Home > NewsVikings QB Joshua Dobbs didn't know most of his teammates' names. He led them to a win. -CapitalTrack
Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs didn't know most of his teammates' names. He led them to a win.
View
Date:2025-04-15 06:23:27
Who needs practice − or to know who you are playing with − when you're Joshua Dobbs?
Just five days after he was traded from the Arizona Cardinals to the Minnesota Vikings, the quarterback was thrust into his new team's road game against the Atlanta Falcons after rookie starter Jaren Hall was injured on the team's second possession of the day.
Even without taking a single snap with the offense in the practice leading up to Sunday, Dobbs delivered an incredible come-from-behind performance by completing 20 of 30 passes for 158 yards and two touchdown passes, including the game-winning scoring throw to Brandon Powell with 22 seconds left to lift Minnesota into a 31-28 win. The result moved the Vikings to 5-4 on the season for their fourth-straight victory.
Dobbs was also the leading rusher on the day, with seven carries for 66 yards and a touchdown run, with several runs extending drives and keeping hopes of a win alive.
'He's smart as hell'
Powell and fellow Vikings receiver Jordan Addison both confirmed to reporters postgame that Dobbs didn't throw any passes during practice.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
"He's smart as hell. To be able to come in here and learn that offense that fast and go out there and call them plays, he's smart. That's a smart dude," Powell said. "He was paying attention. Came in the game, never practicing, and we won the game.
"It's hard to go out there and execute when you don't get the reps, but he did it."
Addison added that everyone in the offensive huddle was letting Dobbs know what they'd be doing on each play, and confirming what routes receivers would run. Regardless, Dobbs was at the center of a big celebration with teammates in the locker room after the win.
Dobbs plans on learning teammates' names
Dobbs, who was the Cardinals' starter for eight games after being traded by the Cleveland Browns just before the start of the regular season, described the whirlwind of the week like someone taking a Spanish class for an entire year and then being told they need to take a test in French. He said coaches asked him how comfortable he felt with the playbook in case he needed to play, to which he said, "anything on this call sheet that we installed this week, I got it. I can run it. I got it." He even admitted that going into Sunday, he didn't know the majority of his teammates' full names.
"If we had to pull up a roster of names, I'll be a bad teammate today," Dobbs said.
But the fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft has his next thing to learn, as Minnesota will prepare to face the New Orleans Saints in Week 10.
"Names, that's for this week. That's an assignment for this week," Dobbs said.
veryGood! (474)
Related
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- How to Build Your Target Fall Capsule Wardrobe: Budget-Friendly Must-Haves for Effortless Style
- 15 new movies you'll want to stream this holiday season, from 'Emilia Perez' to 'Maria'
- 'Yellowstone' premiere: Record ratings, Rip's ride and Billy Klapper's tribute
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Panel advises Illinois commemorate its role in helping slaves escape the South
- Princess Kate to host annual Christmas carol service following cancer treatment
- Tom Brady Shares How He's Preparing for Son Jack to Be a Stud
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- The Daily Money: Mattel's 'Wicked' mistake
Ranking
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Spirit Airlines cancels release of Q3 financial results as debt restructuring talks heat up
- 13 Skincare Gifts Under $50 That Are Actually Worth It
- Monument erected in Tulsa for victims of 1921 Race Massacre
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Florida education officials report hundreds of books pulled from school libraries
- Georgia public universities and colleges see enrollment rise by 6%
- Ariana Grande's Brunette Hair Transformation Is a Callback to Her Roots
Recommendation
Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
Man jailed after Tuskegee University shooting says he fired his gun, but denies shooting at anyone
2 dead in explosion at Kentucky factory that also damaged surrounding neighborhood
Judge sets April trial date for Sarah Palin’s libel claim against The New York Times
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
Isiah Pacheco injury updates: When will Chiefs RB return?
Jeep slashes 2025 Grand Cherokee prices
Missing Ole Miss student declared legally dead as trial for man accused in his death looms