Kevin O'Connell announces Vikings' Week 18 starting QB in Detroit

The Vikings are going back to Nick Mullens as their starting quarterback for Sunday's regular season finale in Detroit, Kevin O'Connell announced on Wednesday.

Mullens replaced rookie Jaren Hall at halftime of the Vikings' loss against the Packers this past weekend after Hall turned the ball over twice in the first half and struggled to move the ball effectively. In a second half that was mostly garbage time, Mullens completed 13 of 22 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers.

It's been a rollercoaster for the Vikings since Kirk Cousins went down with a season-ending Achilles tear. First it was Hall, then Dobbs, then Mullens, then Hall, and now Mullens again.

In the two previous weeks before being briefly benched for Hall, Mullens was the Vikings' starting quarterback against the Bengals and Lions. He threw for 714 yards and four touchdowns in those games, but also threw six interceptions in a pair of one-score losses. It was those turnovers that caused him to get benched, much like turnovers and ineffectiveness caused Josh Dobbs to get benched before that. If Mullens can take care of the football a bit better, his ability to move the ball and generate explosive plays could give the Vikings a chance to pull off an upset in their rematch against the Lions this weekend.

The path to the postseason for the Vikings is a very slim one, but all they can do is try to win this game and give themselves a chance for a miracle.