Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell typically acknowledges big plays made by his team with a celebratory fist pump that could give Tiger Woods a run for his money.
But during Minnesota's 27-19 victory over New Orleans on Sunday, he had a different reaction to a play from his new quarterback Joshua Dobbs.
With less than four minutes left in the first half, the Vikings faced a third-and-6 from the Saints 7-yard line. Dobbs dropped back and, similar to his touchdown run in Atlanta a week ago, escaped the oncoming pressure before scrambling for a score.
The electrifying touchdown gave Minnesota a 17-3 lead. All O'Connell could do was just flash a smile and shrug in amazement.
"I like to fist pump with the best of them," O'Connell said postgame. "But that was one where I was kind of just 'Wow.' "
Dobbs used his feet to bring fans at U.S. Bank Stadium to their own in his first start in Purple. Through the combination of Dobbs' mobility and a huge first half from tight end T.J. Hockenson, the Vikings raced out to a 24-3 halftime lead.
Although the Saints closed the deficit to a one-score game early in the fourth quarter, Minnesota’s defense came up with a pair of turnovers in the final minutes to seal the win.
Despite starting their third quarterback in as many games and a myriad of injuries on both sides of the ball, the Vikings continue to find a way to win.
Minnesota has won five games in a row, the longest active streak in the NFL. It's also the team's longest stretch since it won seven consecutive from Weeks 3 to 10 in 2022.
The Vikings continue to climb in this week's Power Rankings, with the highest jump being five spots. Here's a look at where the Vikings rank heading into Week 11:
No. 15 (up 2 spots): Eric Edholm, NFL.com
If nothing else, this is clear: Joshua Dobbs can play in this league, and Kevin O'Connell can coach a little. This season has gone nothing like the 2022 campaign did, and yet, the Vikings are right back in contention. They've won five straight, which is the longest current win streak in the league after Sunday's win over New Orleans, in spite of starting three different quarterbacks in three games. That shouldn't be a problem going forward, assuming Dobbs stays healthy, because he's the man. I openly called for a change in Arizona because things went stale there after a certain point with Dobbs, but he's rediscovered his mojo and is in a better situation, especially with Justin Jefferson approaching a return. Oh, and how about that Vikings defense? It is allowing 297.9 yards per game since Week 4 and has 11 turnovers in the past five contests, including two huge ones against the Saints in the final three-plus minutes.
No. 13 (down 1 spot): Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
Josh Dobbs did it again in leading the Vikings to victory over the Saints. The defense has really come on in recent weeks for this 6-4 team.
No. 13 (up 4 spots): Josh Kendall, The Athletic
Kevin O'Connell didn't get a lot of credit for Minnesota's 13-4 record in his first season as head coach because of the Vikings crazy luck in one-score games and ensuing playoff flameout, but what he's done in the two games since Kirk Cousins suffered an Achilles injury is impressive. Last week, Minnesota scored 31 points with a quarterback, Josh Dobbs, who had not taken a snap with the team until that day. On Sunday, the Vikings followed that up with another win under Dobbs, who had a 101.1 passer rating.
No. 15 (3 spots): NFL Staff, Bleacher Report
To say it's been a wild year for Joshua Dobbs is an understatement. When the preseason started, Dobbs was in Cleveland. Then he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals, made several starts, was benched and then traded again to the Vikings.
Now, Dobbs has led the Vikings to two wins in less than two full weeks with the team, making quite an impression on Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell.
"I can't emphasize enough what the circumstances were for him in our offense last week, but what I think was really special this week, is even coming off of that performance, [was] his work, how he prepared," O'Connell told reporters. "He was essentially living at the facility and going through his normal process while also allowing us to show him how we do things, how we try to enhance his ability to play fast while also giving him really good plays that he can be responsible for."
A Vikings team that has been blasted by injuries to players like quarterback Kirk Cousins, wide receiver Justin Jefferson and now running back Alexander Mattison has peeled off five straight wins to climb back into the NFC playoff race. Dobbs is a folk hero in Minnesota who will never have to pay for another Juicy Lucy again.
And come free agency next year, Dobbs is going to be in line for quite the sack of cash.
"The magic of Joshua Dobbs can't be denied," [Bleacher Report NFL analyst Brent] Sobleski said. "When Cousins suffered a torn Achilles tendon two weeks ago, the Vikings season appeared lost. Instead, the organization immediately responded at this year's trade deadline by trading for Dobbs, who was on his way out in Arizona with Kyler Murray nearing a return. Dobbs has been wonderful in his short stint. The veteran journeyman has quickly picked up O'Connell's offense and executed well, with a 67.2 completion percentage and five total touchdowns. The biggest difference with Dobbs behind center is that he can actually create outside of structure and provide the Vikings with something different."
No. 12 (up 2 spots): Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News
The new man on the Vikings, Josh Dobbs, keeps producing the same results they were enjoying offensively with Kirk Cousins, thanks to more help from the running game for Kevin O'Connell and the defense overall under Brian Flores. Their 0-3 and 1-4 starts are distant memories as the Vikings look for a sixth straight win in Week 11 vs. Denver.
No. 16 (no change): Nate Davis, USA Today Sports
Can the Josh Dobbs story actually get better? He threw for a career-best 268 yards Sunday and already leads Minnesota with two rushing touchdowns (in just two games). But this fairy tale could go next level amid the pending return of All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
No. 13 (up 5 spots): Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports
The Vikings haven't lost a game by more than seven points all season. They could easily be better than 6-4. It's hard to know if all this is sustainable. But as the weeks go on, it's clear that Kevin O'Connell is a prime Coach of the Year candidate and the Vikings are in great position to make the playoffs in a top-heavy NFC.
