Sunday Night Football in Week 11 now features a game that is highlu intriguing when just a month ago, it looked like a total dud.
The Denver Broncos (4-5) and Minnesota Vikings (6-4) each had high hopes when the 2023 season kicked off but both teams stumbled, fell and laid on the ground for an extended period of time to start the season. But the Broncos have won three games in a row after starting the year 1-5. Meanwhile, the Vikings have won five games straight after a 1-4 start.
With the two teams on the verge of turning their seasons around completely, the stage is set for a big game on Sunday night. Here are the top storylines to follow in this one.
Will the 'Passtronaut' continue his magic?
The Vikings' season looked like it was going to spiral downward in a hurry when starting quarterback Kirk Cousins was lost for the season with a torn Achilles he suffered in Week 8.
The team was forced to turn to rookie quarterback Jaren Hall but just before the trade deadline passed, the front office also chose to send a sixth-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for Joshua Dobbs and a seventh-round pick.
That trade has worked out quite well.
When Hall went down with an injury early on in the team's Week 9 game against the Atlanta Falcons, Dobbs was summoned to enter the game having just been on the roster for about five days. He didn't even know all of his teammate's names but he rallied the Vikings to a big win over the Falcons.
This past week against the New Orleans Saints, he was even better. Dobbs threw for 268 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 44 yards and another score. He is one of those quarterbacks (similar to present-day Russell Wilson) who is not often going to be phenomenal, but he is going to be smart, precise and mistake-free in order to lead his team to a win.
Because of all of this, Dobbs has been given the nickname the 'Passtronaut'. He graduated from Tennessee with a degree in aerospace engineering, which could lead him to becoming an astronaut or a rocket scientist. Truthfully, it's becoming perhaps the biggest story in the NFL in the last two weeks.
Congratulations @josh_dobbs1 on yesterday’s big win! Looks like you rock(et) on and off the field. We heard you’ve even got a new nickname, the "Passtronaut." If the suit fits, wear it.🚀 pic.twitter.com/Pah3MuQsWs
— NASA's Glenn Research Center (@NASAglenn) November 6, 2023
Dobbs was a fourth-round pick in 2017 and is playing on his seventh NFL team (third this season alone). Can the Broncos bring him back down to Earth?
Will Justin Jefferson be back for the Vikings?
Dobbs has accomplished all of this without even throwing one pass to Justin Jefferson, who has missed the team's last five games with a hamstring injury. But Jefferson, who is considered by many to be the best wide receiver in the league, could be back for this game.
That would be a big boost for Dobbs and the Vikings' offense and a big challenge for the Broncos, who would likely have Patrick Surtain shadow him for much of the game.
Jefferson has had a quiet season because of the injury, catching 36 passes for 571 yards and three touchdowns in five games. He has stated that he won't take the field until that hamstring is back to 100 percent health so if he does, we can only assume that is the case.
If he is on the field, the Broncos will have to be wary. Jefferson is not just any receiver. He is elite and has the ability to be as good as any football player this league currently has to offer.
Broncos go up against another familiar face
Fresh off of facing Von Miller for the first time since he was traded away, the Broncos now get to go up against former second-round pick Dalton Risner.
Risner signed with the Vikings in September, after the season had already started. He had been sitting on the free-agent market for months in a situation that became a bit mystifying. It was starting to look like Risner may be done as a professional football player.
But the Vikings came calling and to this point, it has worked out. Risner was able to crack into the starting lineup and the Vikings haven't lost a game since signing him. The organization loves him and he is out there giving his all for his new team.
It's still a bit sad that he wasn't able to reach an agreement to stay in Denver, but it also appears that neither side was interested in working that out. Risner, who was born in Colorado and became a high school star in the state, was a fan favorite but now, those fans will be rooting against the team he plays for.