Inside the Wildest 169 hours of Quarterback Joshua Dobbs’ Life
Twenty-six miles from his hometown, Joshua Dobbs orchestrated the first game-winning drive of his seven-year NFL career.
After completing an on-field postgame interview, Dobbs raced through the burrows of Mercedes-Benz Stadium toward a locker room of Vikings he’d met days earlier.
“Let’s make sure we let him hear it,” Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell shouted as Dobbs approached the Vikings 31-28 victory celebration.
Vikings players, coaches and staffers welcomed Dobbs as their new quarterback with cheers, high fives and shoulder slaps.
In the span of 169 hours — one full week extended by an hour for the time change — he went from starting for the Cardinals to providing relief for the Vikings and quarterbacking a Herculean fourth-quarter comeback.
Below is a timeline of the wild, winding ride that changed his zip code yet returned him to his roots for one of the most improbable NFL stories.
Sunday, Oct. 29
2:38 p.m. (CDT) — Cousins suffers season-ending injury
Nearly 1,900 miles northeast of Phoenix, the Vikings season was drastically altered. Quarterback Kirk Cousins injured his Achilles on a third-and-19 play early in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers.
3:10 p.m. (CDT) — O’Connell recaps game, processing Cousins’ injury
The Vikings finished off the Packers 24-10, but the mood isn’t what anyone would expect after a two-touchdown win in a rival’s home stadium.
“Thinking of Kirk, our locker room, every single player in our locker room, thinking about our leader, our guy right now. I’m just so proud of him, proud of the way he’s played all season long,” O’Connell said after the game. “Whatever is the case, if we don’t have him for one snap or for the duration of our season, that will not change the fact of what I believe Kirk Cousins, the level he played to this year and ultimately what he’s meant to me and our organization, so thinking about him right now.”
1:25 p.m. (MST)/3:25 p.m. (CDT) — Dobbs makes his eighth start for Arizona
The Ravens and Cardinals kicked off at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Four minutes in, Dobbs has just finished the Arizona Cardinals first possession against the Baltimore Ravens with a 1-yard touchdown run.
He’ll go on to throw for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter with his parents in attendance, but it won’t be enough to complete the comeback.
At 4:35 p.m. (MST), the fifth consecutive Cardinals loss is complete, dropping the team to 1-7 on the season.
Dobbs is shifting his focus from the Baltimore Ravens to his upcoming Week 9 opponent, the Cleveland Browns.
After the game, Dobbs said he was encouraged by how the Cardinals scored 17 fourth-quarter points.
He had started every game for the Cardinals after the team traded for him a week before the regular season began. Dobbs threw for 1,569 passing yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions over those eight weeks. He added another 258 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
The week of the Ravens game, his furniture finally arrived in Arizona. For about six days, Dobbs – who played for seven NFL teams (including practice squads) since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 draft – enjoyed stability. With his parents visiting from their home in Alpharetta, Georgia, he was happy to have them in Arizona with him.
Monday, Oct. 30
12:42 p.m. (CDT) — Cousins undergoes MRI
The Vikings announced that an MRI confirmed Cousins suffered an Achilles tendon tear. O’Connell spoke to the media minutes later.
“Regardless of the circumstances, this is a tough break with the momentum we have as a team right now. We have to move forward. Nobody feels sorry for anybody in this league. And we know that. I know that,” O’Connell said. “And we’re going to move forward in the same kind of attack mode that we are going out and trying to get a win in each and every week.”
3:10 p.m. (MST)/5:10 p.m. (CDT) — Dobbs benched
Cardinals first-year Head Coach Jonathan Gannon announced to the media that Arizona would be benching Dobbs as it prepared for the eventual return of Kyler Murray.
“[I] talked to the quarterbacks this morning. We’re gonna keep ramping up Kyler and see how he progresses through the week. And if it’s not Kyler, then it’s going to be Clayton Tune,” Gannon said. “So I talked to all three quarterbacks, and we are on the same page with him on how we’re going to operate moving forward.”
When asked how Dobbs took the news, Gannon responded “like a pro.”
Tuesday, Oct. 31
1:15 p.m. (CDT) — Dobbs traded to Minnesota
Dobbs is traded to the Minnesota Vikings, becoming the first quarterback traded twice within the same season since 1994. Arizona had acquired him from Cleveland before Week 1.
1:33 p.m. (CDT) — Logistical phone call with Dobbs
Shortly after the trade was finalized, a Vikings football operations staff member called Dobbs to book his flight, room and get his equipment sizes.
O’Connell also spoke with the quarterback quickly Tuesday after the trade.
“I said, ‘I don’t know when it’ll be, but I can promise you one thing. You’re gonna get everything out of us. You’re gonna love your teammates. This is the best locker room in the National Football League, and my goal is that this is the best situation you’ve ever been in and just trust us.’ And he’s done that.”
5 p.m. (MST)/7 p.m. (CDT) — Dobbs’ flight to Minnesota
Dobbs boards a flight to Minnesota and lands just before 10 p.m. (CT). In nine hours, he’ll start his physical examination inside the athletic training room at Twin Cities Orthopedic Performance Center.
Wednesday, Nov. 1
7 a.m. (CDT) — Dobbs’ first day at TCO Performance Center
After passing his physical, Dobbs participates in meetings and begins connecting with teammates.
One of the first coaches Dobbs met and spent extensive time with was assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski.
2:05 p.m. (CDT) — Offensive install begins at first walk-through
Vikings coaches start teaching Dobbs the game plan, but he’s mostly an observer because of the desire to have rookie Jaren Hall take as many reps as possible before his first career start.
O’Connell said ensuring Dobbs could learn enough of the game plan to back up Hall would take much of the offensive staff’s time. Quarterbacks coach Chris O’Hara spearheaded preparing Hall while Udinski worked with Dobbs.
With Udinski, Dobbs started learning basic offensive terminology, formations and cadences. As the week progressed, Dobbs and Udinski spent time outside of meetings rehearsing the game plan and studying red-zone and third-down situations.
Thursday, Nov. 2
12:15 p.m. (CDT) — Meeting with media
Dobbs speaks to local media at his new locker inside the Vikings locker room.
“It caught me off guard. Honestly,” Dobbs said about being traded. “After the [Ravens] game was first announced, I was starting, you know, for the Cardinals, including this upcoming week. And the next 36 hours were a little crazy after that. So I was surprised, but you know, at this point of my career, my journey, you’re not too surprised about anything happening, right?”
1:10 p.m. (CDT) – Vikings practice
The Vikings hit the field to continue preparing for the Falcons and follow the on-field activities with meetings.
Friday, Nov. 3
11:50 a.m. (CDT) — Final practice of Week 9
During the week, the Vikings gave every first-team practice rep to Hall to prepare him for his NFL starting debut. Dobbs prepared like the Vikings were playing Thursday after a Sunday.
“I remember I was walking out of here Friday and he’s in the indoor [practice field] with Grant going through plays and I looked over and said, ‘I’m gonna go pick up my kids.’ “Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores said. “You could see the work he was putting in to try to get himself ready.”
By Saturday, he told coaches he was ready to execute anything they’d have on the Week 9 call sheet.
“Whether it’s no-huddle, whether it’s tempo, whether it’s our game plan call — whatever it is, I got it,” Dobbs said. “If they started pulling stuff from [Organized Team Activity practices from the spring], I might be a little handcuffed out there, but if you put it on the call sheet, I got it.”
Saturday, Nov. 4
1:53 p.m. (CDT) — Vikings depart for Atlanta
Minnesota’s chartered Delta flight is wheels up and heading for ATL, where the team touched down at 4:48 p.m. (EDT). Buses reached the team hotel in Buckhead at 5:32 p.m. (EDT).
