The Minnesota Vikings will start Nick Mullens at quarterback on Sunday in their Week 18 game against the Detroit Lions, per Adam Schefter.
It will be Mullens' third start of the season for the Vikings. After starting Weeks 15 and 16, he was benched in favor of rookie Jaren Hall in Week 17, only to replace Hall in the second half. The Vikings lost to the Green Bay Packers, 33-10.
Minnesota's playoff hopes are hanging by a thread entering the final week of the regular season. The Vikings not only need to beat the Lions but also need at least three other NFC teams to win certain games to reach the playoffs.
Along with the win, Minnesota needs the Arizona Cardinals to beat the Seattle Seahawks, the Chicago Bears to defeat the Packers and either the Atlanta Falcons or Carolina Panthers to win their respective games against the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Minnesota's QB carousel
It's a miracle that the Vikings have any sort of chance at making the playoffs entering Week 18 with the way their season has unfolded. Mullens is one of four quarterbacks Minnesota started this season, joining Kirk Cousins, Josh Dobbs and Hall as players to start a game under center for the Vikings.
It is a massive credit to Kevin O'Connell and his coaching staff for not only riding the storm of their inconsistencies at quarterback but also navigating through a seven-game stretch without All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Minnesota's season looked done and dusted with him out, but the Vikings went 5-2 without Jefferson, though they're 3-5 without Cousins.
Minnesota is 0-2 in games Mullens started this season. He's completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 910 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions in four total games.
Nick Mullens has a chance to lead the Vikings back to the playoffs – with a little help – and earn himself another start in the postseason next week.
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