The Minnesota Vikings are fighting for their postseason lives as they are second in the NFC North and eighth in the NFC with a 7-8 record this season. With some injuries and disappointments to the quarterback position throughout the season, coach Kevin O’Connell announced rookie fifth-round pick Jaren Hall will be getting the start for the Minnesota Vikings.
Head Coach Kevin O’Connell has announced that Jaren Hall will start for the #Vikings Sunday night. pic.twitter.com/YQ2zrpMxkx
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 28, 2023
Jaren Hall has appeared in a pair of games this season and is currently 8-of-10 (80.0 completion percentage) without a touchdown or an interception. He also adds four rushing attempts for 10 yards (2.5 yards per carry). He left his last game with an injury against the Atlanta Falcons.
The bigger story is he is getting a chance to take on the Green Bay Packers once again, something he did in his NFL debut a few weeks ago. In that game, he went 3-of-4 for 23 yards with a pair of rushing yards but just -1 yards on the ground.
Jaren Hall did well as a member of the BYU Cougars as he finished his collegiate career going 468-of-718 (65.2 completion percentage) for 6,174 yards wth 52 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. With the Achilles injury to Kirk Cousins and the ineffectiveness of Joshua Dobbs, the Minnesota Vikings need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Will the Minnesota Vikings make the playoffs?
The Minnesota Vikings are going to be a wild card team if they are going to make the playoffs this season. They are currently tied with their opponent this week, the Green Bay Packers. If they can win and improve to 8-8, they will be on the road against the divisional champion Detroit Lions.
The odds for the Vikings making the playoffs look bleak right now, especially starting a rookie quarterback in such a critical game. With tight end T.J. Hockenson out with a torn ACL and needing their wide receiver duo of Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson to step up even more, it will put some added pressure on the offensive side of things.
The Vikings had a huge advantage but losing four of their last five games, they need to put their foot on the gas and facing two young teams with very little postseason experience, this can be a chance for the team to be ready for a playoff push. Their hope will be a win on Sunday Night Football and the Lions resting their starters on Week 18.
It seems a little too late to be expecting the Vikings to make the playoffs this season.
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