A major injury to one of Minnesota’s quarterbacks opened the door for another player. Nick Mullens is determined to seize this chance.
With the Vikings’ quarterback situation disrupted by J.J. McCarthy’s season-ending injury, Mullens threw a touchdown pass to lead Minnesota to a 27-12 win over the Cleveland Browns in a preseason game on Saturday.
Mullens threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Trishton Jackson in the first quarter. He completed 11 of 21 passes for 135 yards and avoided turnovers, which had been an issue for him during three starts late last season when he filled in for Kirk Cousins.
“If I protect the football, I feel I’m a really good quarterback in this league,” Mullens said. “So any time you can go out and not have any turnovers, it’s big.”
Minnesota’s third-string quarterback, Jaren Hall, threw two touchdown passes in the second half, including a 71-yarder to Jeshaun Jones. Rookie Will Reichard added field goals of 41 and 38 yards.
For the Browns, D’Onta Foreman had a 1-yard touchdown and Cade York kicked a 33-yard field goal.
Both teams rested their starters and many backups, feeling they had already received enough practice time from joint sessions earlier in the week. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson missed his second straight game but is expected to play next week at Seattle, following a season-ending shoulder injury in November. No. 2 quarterback Jameis Winston also did not play.
This week has been eventful for Minnesota’s quarterbacks. On Tuesday, McCarthy, a promising rookie from Michigan, was lost for the season due to a torn meniscus, which led to his role being taken over by Sam Darnold and Mullens moving into a backup position.
