When Vikings needed him, Nick Mullens was prepared for the moment
The Vikings backup converted a huge third down off the bench
By Matthew Coller
CHICAGO — Midway through the fourth quarter, the Minnesota Vikings badly needed one more score.
They had just allowed the Chicago Bears to produce a 10-play, 64-yard touchdown drive to cut the lead to eight points and quarterback Caleb Williams was starting to catch fire.
When the Vikings got the ball back after the Chicago touchdown, things didn’t exactly go to plan. Aaron Jones was hit in the backfield for a 3-yard loss and then on second down starting QB Sam Darnold rolled to his right, got pressure, threw the ball away and then went down. He stayed down. When he got back up, he gingerly walked off the field.
Backup Nick Mullens trotted in on third-and-13. That’s like stepping to the plate with an 0-2 count.
Normally this is where you would expect a delay handoff. Punt the ball away, don’t do anything that could cause a game-changing mistake and then hope to play strong defense.
Not Kevin O’Connell.
Mullens dropped back to throw and found Jones over the middle for a 14-yard conversion.
“I’m very appreciative of KO, I feel like whatever he calls, I can go out and execute,” Mullens told Purple Insider after the game. “I’ll always believe that. For him to be able to call those things — he trusts me and I trust him — it’s great. That’s what you want from a player and coach. That’s what this whole team has this year is trust in each other. It was a crazy game and I feel like everybody across the board did their part.”
Mullens explained that the other receivers ran vertical routes and the Bears were playing soft coverage on third-and-long, so he was able to see Jones coming across the field open.
“It was a great job by the coaches scheming it up,” Mullens said. Just give it to Aaron in space. He’s obviously a great ball carrier. Catch it, get vertical. Great job, great design.”
On the next play, Darnold returned and led a field goal drive to give the Vikings an 11-point lead with two minutes remaining.
“That was a huge conversion,” Jones said. “I was messing with him after like, hey, you come in the game and throw it to me and you’re 2-for-2. You got a thing for me?”
Indeed this wasn’t the first time that Mullens has even done that this year. Earlier in the season Darnold went out for a play in London against the Jets and Mullens completed a pass down the sideline to Jones.
“When you’re the backup the goal is to stay ready as much as you can on the sideline,” Mullens said. “Just stay in the game mentally and prepare as hard as you can throughout the week and make sure you’re good on the reads, the operation and be good on silent count because it’s going to be loud. Simulate as much as you can throughout the week and when your time comes, that’s the job. That’s the expectations. Do your job like everybody on this team has done.”
Mullens is no stranger to coming in off the bench. In his career he has thrown passes in 10 games that he didn’t start and won a game for the Vikings in relief of Josh Dobbs last year against the Vegas Raiders.
Teammates were not surprised by the way Mullens stepped right in with no hesitation.
“I hate doing that to him, but just for him to be able to come in and execute at such a high level, obviously in London and today, just an incredible job by him,” Darnold said. “It shows kind of the preparation that he kind of exemplifies every single week.”
“We have the utmost trust in Nick, he’s been able to do a lot of things in this league and he’s always ready to go,” tight end TJ Hockenson said. “You watch him on Saturdays and he’s going through the call sheet like he’s starting. He’s going through the checks like he’s out there playing in walk-through. The guy is locked in.”
Of course, while Mullens was happy to contribute, he was much more excited after the game to talk about the way Darnold played, especially in his game-winning overtime drive.
"People need to respect Sam, man,” Mullens said. “He freaking balled."
Good article. I feel Mullens is a great backup QB. SF could have used him on Sunday against GB.
I like how he has Sam`s back with that comment.