Minnesota Vikings' Joshua Dobbs is ESPN's highest-rated QB of the week
MINNEAPOLIS — Anyone who watched Joshua Dobbs' performance against the Atlanta Falcons doesn't need advanced statistics to know how impressive it was. But according to ESPN's total quarterback rating, Dobbs was the best passer in the league on Sunday.
Dobbs, who joined the Minnesota Vikings midweek and was not expected to play against the Falcons, was thrust into action when rookie Jaren Hall suffered a concussion in the first quarter.
The Vikings pulled from behind to beat the Falcons 31-28. Dobbs made a few mistakes, including two turnovers, but he also made some key plays to secure the win. He finished 20/30 for 158 yards and two touchdowns through the air and added 66 yards and another touchdown on the ground.
That was good enough to give him a total QBR of 86.6, the top mark in the league heading into Monday Night Football. ESPN's QBR is a different metric than passer rating, by which Dobbs was the 13th-best quarterback of the week.
The other passers in the top five of QBR are mostly unsurprising. Joe Burrow, one of the league's elite QBs, was second. Rookie Aidan O'Connell (third) and the Las Vegas Raiders demolished the New York Giants. C.J. Stroud, ranked fourth, racked up 470 yards and five touchdowns in a close win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And fifth-ranked Lamar Jackson continued his MVP-caliber play in a drubbing of the Seattle Seahawks.
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Dobbs' performance is all the more impressive when you consider he barely knew his teammates' names, let alone the Vikings' playbook.
It's unclear how long Hall's concussion will keep him out, but the Vikings will have a difficult decision to make regardless. Dobbs certainly wasn't perfect on Sunday, but he may have done enough to grab hold of the starting job, especially with fifth-round rookie Hall as his only real competition.
The Vikings' next game is at home against the New Orleans Saints. They're on a four-game winning streak and stand at 5-4, second in the NFC North and firmly in the playoff race.