Vikings bench QB Nick Mullins to start rookie Jarren Hall

EAGAN, Minn. – The rotational quarterback is turning heads again for the Minnesota Vikings.

Rookie Jarren Hall will start Sunday night's game against the Green Bay Packers, coach Kevin O'Connell confirmed Thursday, marking the team's fourth change to starter since Kirk Cousins ​​tore his right Achilles tendon in Week 8.

Hall will replace Nick Mullins, who went 0-2 while throwing for 714 yards and four touchdowns, along with six interceptions, in a wild two-game stretch as Minnesota's starter. The losses pushed the Vikings to the brink of the NFC playoff picture, and they now have a 19% chance of clinching a postseason berth, according to ESPN's Football Power Index.

Hall, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft, was Cousins' backup at the time of his injury. He made one start in Week 9 for the Atlanta Falcons, but left after suffering a concussion in the first quarter.

Joshua Dobbs, acquired from the Arizona Cardinals after Cousins ​​was injured, replaced Hall and started the Vikings' next four games before making way for Mullins, who entered the season as the Vikings' No. 2 starting quarterback but suffered a back injury in October. Speaking earlier this week, before the decision was made, Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson expressed confidence in Hall's development since his first start.

“I feel like he did a great job of learning and the process of being a rookie and assuming that role,” Jefferson said. “It's definitely been a tough year, just struggling with injuries. … I feel like Jaren is definitely a great quarterback. He definitely has some potential to spark this offense if we put him out there to play, but we'll have confidence in who.”

The Vikings were encouraged by Hall's performance in his brief appearance against the Falcons, as he completed 5 of 6 passes for 78 yards and scrambled twice for 11 yards. But O'Connell's decision was largely driven by the plethora of turnovers committed by Mullins and Dobbs during their tenures.

Dobbs had five passes intercepted and lost three passes in parts of five games. Mullens fumbled twice in two games, both recovered by the Vikings, and the seventh interception was reversed by a penalty. A potential eighth interception was dropped.