Current:Home > NewsVikings QB Joshua Dobbs didn't know most of his teammates' names. He led them to a win. -TradeBridge
Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs didn't know most of his teammates' names. He led them to a win.
View
Date:2025-04-12 10:34:47
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! (154)
Related
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Dozens arrested after protest blocks Philadelphia interstate, police say
- Shooting outside downtown Indianapolis mall wounds 7 youths, police say
- 3 Social Security rules you need to know before claiming benefits
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- King Charles attends Easter service, Princess Kate absent after their cancer diagnoses
- Riley Strain's Tragic Death: Every Twist in the Search for Answers
- Horoscopes Today, March 30, 2024
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Late Football Star Spencer Webb's Son Spider Celebrates His First Birthday
Ranking
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Stamp Collection
- Transgender Day of Visibility: The day explained, what it means for the trans community
- Former US Rep. William Delahunt of Massachusetts has died at age 82
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Jodie Sweetin's Look-Alike Daughter Zoie Practices Driving With Mom
- Shooting outside downtown Indianapolis mall wounds 7 youths, police say
- AT&T notifies users of data breach and resets millions of passcodes
Recommendation
Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
Who's hosting 'SNL' tonight? Cast, musical guest, where to watch March 30 episode
Third employee of weekly newspaper in Kansas sues over police raid that sparked a firestorm
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hey Siri
The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
Kristen Stewart, Emma Roberts and More Stars Get Candid on Freezing Their Eggs
1 year after Evan Gershkovich's arrest in Russia, Biden vows to continue working every day for his release
Horoscopes Today, March 29, 2024