The Minnesota Vikings loved what Josh Dobbs gave to the franchise when Kirk Cousins went down. But after Dobbs struggled the past couple weeks, they’re making yet another starting quarterback change. 

Nick Mullens will be getting the start against the Cincinnati Bengals Saturday, head coach Kevin O’Connell said. 

Mullens is the fourth starting quarterback for the Vikings in a seven-game stretch as they look to secure a playoff berth. 

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Mullens was on injured reserve when Cousins went down with a ruptured Achilles. Mullens broke training camp as Cousins’ backup. 

The Vikings were forced to go with rookie third-stringer Jaren Hall, who was backing up Cousins at the time, but that didn’t last long. In his next start against the Atlanta Falcons, Hall left with a concussion. 

FROM OUTKICK: MATT ARAIZA ACCUSER REPORTEDLY DROPS CIVIL SUIT AGAINST FORMER NFL PUNTER, DOES THIS MEAN RETURN TO FOOTBALL?

That led to Dobbs, who had started the year with the Arizona Cardinals, coming in and defeating Atlanta. 

Dobbs became the man O’Connell trusted, and it worked out. Dobbs helped defeat the New Orleans Saints, 27-19, throwing for one touchdown and running for another. 

Nick Mullens of the Minnesota Vikings attempts a pass during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium Dec. 10, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)

However, the honeymoon between Dobbs and the Vikings is over. They lost to the Denver Broncos, 21-20, and Dobbs played well with another rushing touchdown and passing score. But Dobbs threw four interceptions in a brutal loss to the Chicago Bears.

On Sunday, Dobbs went 10-of-23 for 63 yards, and O’Connell pulled him from the game in favor of Mullens.

Mullens was activated by the Vikings after recovering from his back injury in Week 11 but was backing up Dobbs. Mullens led the only scoring drive of the game in the fourth quarter against the Raiders to help Minnesota pick up a much-needed victory to improve to 7-6. 

Mullens will enter Saturday making his 18th start during his six-year career. He’s 5-12 in his previous 17, with his latest coming with the Cleveland Browns in 2021. 

Joshua Dobbs of the Minnesota Vikings listens to a play call against the Chicago Bears in the first half at U.S. Bank Stadium Nov. 27, 2023, in Minneapolis. (Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

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For his career, Mullens has thrown for 5,168 yards, 27 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.  

NFL legend Rob Gronkowski is known for spiking the football after scoring touchdowns and for winning Super Bowls. 

He’ll be known for his singing voice soon. 

The four-time Super Bowl champion will host the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk Saturday, and Gronkowski says he’ll be singing the national anthem. 

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“I’m signing the national anthem,” Gronkowski told TMZ Sports in a recent interview. 

Gronkowski won’t be singing alone. He’ll be joined by the New Directions Veterans Choir, a group “comprised primarily of men and women who have served proudly in the United States military.” 

“They’re going to be there with me,” Gronkowski added. “So, it’s kind of like I’m the quarterback and I have the best offensive line in front of me. So, they can make me look good because I sang the national anthem before the committee, and they all looked at each other, and Julian Edelman was there as well. And Julian looked at me as well and goes, ‘I need 10 more shots for you to go on, so I can keep listening.’

“So, they’re going to make me look good” he added. “I got to keep practicing. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Oct 16, 2023  (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports)

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The Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk, which was previously named the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, will feature a matchup between UCLA and Boise State Saturday. 

SoFi Stadium and Gronkowski entered into a multi-year agreement in October. 

“Football has brought me so many incredible opportunities, and I’m thrilled to return to college football as the host of my very own bowl game,” Gronkowski said in a press release. “We are going to light up college football bowl season. This game is going to be epic, so I better see everyone at the LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 16.”

Gronkowski retired for the second time after the conclusion of the 2021 season after spending 11 years in the NFL. 

Arizona Wildcats alumnus and honorary team captain Rob Gronkowski during a game between Arizona and the UCLA Bruins Nov. 4, 2023, at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.   (Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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He spent his first nine NFL seasons with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, winning three Super Bowls. 

He joined Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, winning his fourth Super Bowl with Brady.

Rob Ray thought he was done with hockey injuries when he retired in 2004, but he found himself in the line of fire on Monday night.

Ray is now a broadcaster for the Buffalo Sabres, and he often does his reporting from the ice level next to the two teams’ benches.

But, the benches don’t have glass boards, and neither does his own personal broadcast booth.

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With a little over five minutes to go in the Sabres’ game against the Arizona Coyotes, a puck went off the stick of Michael Kesselring, trying to dump it off the boards. But it went just a bit high and knocked Ray in between his eyes.

Since the puck was out of play, the whistle blew, and members of both benches were quick to check on Ray.

After a couple minutes, Ray was seen taped up to stop the bleeding.

He said he was “all good.” 

Sabres broadcaster Rob Ray works the Montreal Canadiens game on March 23, 2018, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. (Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images))

“I’m just trying to clean my glasses up a little bit so I can put them on and see through them again,” Ray added. “A normal guy would have been carried out of here.”

He even said he could no longer use his notes, hinting there was blood on them.

Ray said he’d likely need stitches afterward.

The 55-year-old played 16 seasons in the NHL, 14 of them with the Sabres, and twice led the NHL in penalty minutes. 

Rob Ray speaks with Ryan O’Reilly of the Sabres before a Detroit Red Wingsgame on Oct. 24, 2017, at KeyBank Center. (Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

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His 3,189 penalty minutes as a Sabre remain a franchise record, and his 3,207 in his entire career are the sixth-most.

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New York Giants fans can’t seem to get enough of quarterback Tommy DeVito, now affectionately known as “Tommy Cutlets,” but his agent’s appearance on “Monday Night Football” stole the show even more. 

Sean Stellato was dressed to the nines, wearing all black from his fedora, to his three-piece suit, all the way to the shiny shoes on the Giants’ sideline right next to DeVito pre-game. 

And he was standing right next to DeVito’s father, as they watched client and son lead a game-winning drive over the Packers to secure the Giants’ third win in a row. 

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Stellato was on FanDuel TV’s “Up and Adams” show with Kay Adams on Tuesday morning to discuss the legend that DeVito has cultivated in East Rutherford, New Jersey, over the past several weeks since the Giants have been riding with him at starting quarterback. 

Those two words — starting quarterback — is something Stellato thinks can be attached to DeVito one day. 

“Yeah, my dream is for him to be the starting quarterback and get a long-term deal with the New York Giants,” Stellato said to Adams. “I have no doubt he can win this job.”

FROM OUTKICK: BRIAN DABOLL RIGHTFULLY CUTS OFF REPORTER ASKING A TOM BRADY – TOMMY DEVITO QUESTION FOLLOWING GIANTS’ WIN OVER PACKERS

Stellato added: “He’s won the locker room. The coaches believe in him, the faith of the fans. They think he’s the second coming of The Sopranos back 20-something years ago.”

While DeVito has certainly earned the role as the team’s starting quarterback, especially after his performance on Monday night where he threw for 158 yards with a touchdown, while rushing for 71 yards on 10 carries, there’s one problem to Stellato’s dream. 

Daniel Jones, who is out the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, is the team’s franchise quarterback right now after giving him a four-year, $160 million deal in the offseason. 

But Stellato wants DeVito to strive for greatness, no matter what the depth chart might say. 

Tommy DeVito #15 of the New York Giants stretches as he warms up prior to an NFL football game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

“Just in terms of that aura and passion and that blue-collar, underdog approach — he relates to that fan base. So I think he can win that job, I have no doubt about it,” he explained. “Daniel Jones is a hell of a quarterback, too. So gotta just continue to take it one day at a time, one practice at a time, one game at a time. But I know he’s ready for any challenge that’s going to come his way. He’s prepared his entire life.”

And in case you might be wondering, Stellato looking like a mob boss at MetLife Stadium wasn’t a gimmick to play up DeVito’s Italian heritage even more. 

Stellato discussed his Italian roots, mentioning that he will be inducted into the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in Chicago on Friday. 

“Family is the backbone of everything,” he told Adams. “That’s something my dad preached at a young age. That’s something Mr. DeVito preached. Look, it’s a shining moment. You spend your entire life grinding, working, especially in a very competitive industry. And Italians are very passionate — we talk with our hands, we hug, we kiss. Those things are very organic, and I share those same values with the DeVito’s.

Tommy DeVito #15 of the New York Giants throws a pass as he warms up prior to an NFL football game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium on December 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

“It’s that old school passion and love for each other. Last night, it was exciting to just see the young man’s hard work on the biggest stage.”

Even though veteran Tyrod Taylor is back from his rib injury, head coach Brian Daboll stuck with DeVito as his starting quarterback. Monday night proved why, as the 24-22 victory leaves the Giants just one game out of playoff contention. 

So, the hand gestures and chicken cutlets will continue to pour over MetLife Stadium and this Giants team because it’s not only been a fun ride to watch a practice squad quarterback rip off this many wins, but it’s also been something the entire locker room has rallied around. 

Whether that will be something in the future is unknown, but Stellato has a feeling it could be as long as DeVito believes it.

Tommy DeVito #15 of the New York Giants reacts as he takes the field prior to an NFL football game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

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“We’re very blessed to be in the moment right now, but we know we’ve got to continue to evolve. He’s got to continue to play at a high level, which I have no doubt he will,” Stellato said.

Months after being cleared of wrongdoing, Matt Araiza’s accuser has dropped her lawsuit against the “Punt God” in which she said he raped her.

The woman, who was 17 at the time of the incident, said she was gang-raped by Araiza and others at a party near his alma mater, San Diego State University, in 2021.

But prosecutors and the school both said the actions between the two were consensual.

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“The win is bittersweet,’ Araiza’s attorney, Dick Semerdjian, said in a statement, via Yahoo Sports. “Matt has been forced to defend himself for the last sixteen months against false accusations and a campaign to ruin his career in the NFL. He will never get this time in his life back.

“We cannot overstate the importance to our system of justice of the presumption of innocence,” Semerdjian continued. “Matt has always maintained his innocence, despite the public outcry that resulted when he was falsely accused of crimes and civil assault. Thankfully, there was extensive evidence that was key to securing Matt’s voluntary dismissal from this lawsuit.

“Matt was and has always been innocent,” Semerdjian continued. “The case is over, and Matt has prevailed. He now has the full intention of returning to the NFL in hopes of resuming a successful punting career.”

Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza waves to fans after a preseason NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Orchard Park, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022.  (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)

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The lawsuit alleged Araiza had thrown the girl on a bed “face first,” and she went in and out of consciousness while having unsolicited sex. The lawsuit added that it lasted an hour and a half, and she left the room bloodied and crying.

Araiza admitted to having sex with her, not knowing she was 17. However, it was revealed that Araiza was no longer at the party when the alleged gang-rape occurred.

He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2022, but was released during training camp, two days after the suit was filed.

Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza walks on the sideline during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Aug. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)

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Araiza said he plans on suing the accuser’s lawyer for defamation.

New England Patriots offensive lineman Trent Brown appeared to take a jab at the organization as he congratulated quarterback Malik Cunningham for signing with the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad.

Cunningham joined the Ravens after starting his season with the Patriots. He fought to start for the Patriots as Mac Jones failed to meet expectations and Bailey Zappe was not playing consistently enough to take over. However, head coach Bill Belichick never made the move.

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The former Louisville quarterback will now have a chance to backup Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. Jackson also played his college ball for the Cardinals.

Brown used the moment to swipe at the Patriots organization on his Instagram Stories.

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“Go flourish where your talent is respected lil bradda,” Brown wrote.

Cunningham reposted the mention on his own Instagram Stories.

The rookie thanked the Patriots in a statement to ESPN after making the move to the Ravens.

“I wanted to thank Mr Kraft and Coach Belichick for giving me opportunity to play with the Patriots. I learned a lot from them,” Cunningham said. “I want to be a coach one day, so I would take notes from coach Belichick because he’s one of the greatest of all time.

Malik Cunningham, #16 of the New England Patriots, warms up before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Oct. 15, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Getty Images)

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“I had great teammates in New England and built relationships that will last a lifetime. But I just feel like this is a good opportunity for me and I’m excited to be a Baltimore Raven.”

Cunningham joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent. He appeared in one game this season and bounced back and forth between the practice squad and the active roster.

Malik Cunningham, #16 of the New England Patriots, runs with the ball during the fourth quarter during the preseason game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on Aug. 10, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)

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If the Ravens close out a playoff spot in the coming weeks, Cunningham could presumably see some action.

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The Tennessee Titans were facing nearly impossible odds, down 14 points with under 3 minutes to play, against the Miami Dolphins on Monday.

Somehow, Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis orchestrated a nine-play 75-yard touchdown drive and completed the 2-point conversion to get within a touchdown of the Dolphins’ lead with 2:40 left to play. The defense then forced a three-and-out and Levis was able to lead another touchdown drive that ended with a Derrick Henry 4-yard touchdown run.

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Tennessee left Hard Rock Stadium with a 28-27 win, stunning the Dolphins and the rest of the NFL world.

The ESPN broadcast noted the Titans were the first team to come back and win a game after trailing by 14 points with under 3 minutes to play. Teams were previously 0-767 before the Titans’ achievement.

FROM OUTKICK: THE 10-3 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES MAY JUST BE A ‘BAD FOOTBALL TEAM’

“Everybody thought this was going to be another Miami-Broncos 70 points put on us,” Titans linebacker Arden Key said after the game. “But we don’t care about the outside noise.”

Levis also had a message for NFL fans after the game.

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during a news conference, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

“Awesome. We knew we had an opportunity to do something special tonight on national television. Probably our last prime time game. Hope America liked what they saw,” he said.

Levis threw for 327 passing yards in the win.

TOMMY DEVITO PERFECT ON GIANTS’ FINAL DRIVE TO SET UP GAME-WINNING FIELD GOAL IN STUNNING VICTORY

Henry punched in the scores when the Titans needed him the most. He had two touchdowns to go along with 35 rushing yards.

DeAndre Hopkins of the Tennessee Titans runs with the ball against the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 11, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

DeAndre Hopkins showed up like the star he is. He had seven catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. Tyjae Spears added six catches for 89 yards.

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Tennessee showed some life in the playoff hunt, improving to 5-8 on the season. Miami fell to 9-4.

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Legendary broadcaster Al Michaels is reportedly off NBC’s NFL postseason coverage with the playoffs a few weeks away.

NBC is set to have three playoff games in January. Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth are scheduled to handle two, while Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Teppen will be on the call for one of the doubleheaders early in the month, the New York Post reported Tuesday.

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NBC Sports vice president Greg Hughes confirmed the news to the New York Post. NBC didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Michaels, 79, is one of the most recognized sports broadcasters of his era. When NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” acquired NFL rights, John Madden was the first to move from ABC to NBC. Michaels eventually followed him after ABC let him out of his contract. He was famously exchanged for Ryder Cup coverage, increased Olympics highlight usage and the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Walt Disney developed the character in 1928, but Universal Pictures owned it at the time.

FROM OUTKICK: THE 10-3 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES MAY JUST BE A ‘BAD FOOTBALL TEAM’

Al Michaels looks on from the sideline before the Tennessee Titans take on the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 2, 2023, in Pittsburgh. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Michaels and Madden were the two mainstays on the broadcast until Collinsworth came in. Michaels moved to Amazon Prime’s “Thursday Night Football” coverage in 2022 alongside Kirk Herbstreit.

He was tasked with last season’s Los Angeles Chargers-Jacksonville Jaguars AFC wild card playoff game. The Jaguars made a dramatic second-half comeback to win, however, Michaels and his co-broadcaster Tony Dungy were criticized by fans for their lack of enthusiasm.

Michaels has met the same criticism this season as the Thursday night schedule has not featured consistently intriguing matchups.

TOMMY DEVITO PERFECT ON GIANTS’ FINAL DRIVE TO SET UP GAME-WINNING FIELD GOAL IN STUNNING VICTORY

He was seemingly stunned when he talked to the New York Post about the move.

“It’s in my deal,” he told the newspaper. “Where are you hearing that from? That’s part of my deal. Are you hearing something that I’m not hearing?”

Kirk Herbstreit and Al Michaels in the Amazon Prime TNF broadcast booth prior to the game between the Carolina Panthers and the Bears at Soldier Field on Nov. 9, 2023, in Chicago. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

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The NFL playoffs begin on Jan. 13.

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