The Vikings coach arrested prior to their game against the Raiders.
Two days prior to his team’s pivotal game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Wes Phillips, the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, was taken into custody by police.
According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, who referenced Hennepin County Jail records in his article, Phillips was taken into custody by authorities on Friday evening, December 8, for operating a car while intoxicated. According to Minnesota state law, driving while intoxicated (DWI) is a misdemeanor.
In a statement issued on Saturday in response to Phillips’ arrest, Minnesota said that the coach will still travel with the squad for Sunday’s game in Las Vegas.
According to Seifert, the Vikings stated that after Wes’ arrest yesterday night, “he immediately notified the team.” “We spoke with the NFL this morning, and following internal deliberation, we decided that Wes would accompany the team to Las Vegas this afternoon. We’ll keep collecting details on the incident and provide more commentary when it’s appropriate.
After having a bye week, Minnesota (6-6) has dropped its last two games and is still fighting for a berth in the NFC Wildcard Playoffs.
Under QB Josh Dobbs, the Vikings offense has struggled in the last two games.
The Vikings are trying to get their offense back on track after scoring a total of 30 points in the previous two games, so they don’t need any more distractions in the form of Phillips’ arrest.
In addition to head coach Kevin O’Connell, Phillips is a key player in the attempt to turn around starting quarterback Josh Dobbs, who threw four interceptions in his previous outing against the Chicago Bears. Leaving the matter of who will start open-ended going into the bye week, O’Connell decided to stick with Dobbs against the Raiders.
Dobbs might, however, be limited given his recent turnover issues and how they have negatively harmed Minnesota’s prospects of making the playoffs.
On December 6, O’Connell informed members of the media that Nick Mullens would be prepared to go. We’ll get Nick ready the same way we usually do. and everyone on our staff is aware that they can rely on Nick in times of need.
The youngster Jaren Hall, who has recovered from the concussion protocol and is fit enough to play if needed, was also highlighted by the head coach.
“I think we have three quarterbacks we can win football games with, whether it’s Nick or Jaren,” O’Connell continued.
Though They Have Dropped Over the Past Three Weeks, the Vikings’ Playoff Prospects Are Still Strong
In Week 14, head coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings will aim to turn things around against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Vikings were positioned to make the playoffs a few weeks ago. Even if a lot has occurred since then, the club still has a strong possibility of playing till the end of January.
Minnesota has a 50% chance of finishing 9-8 and the same odds of finishing 8-9 going into the weekend, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), which expects the club to finish with 8.5 wins for the season. As of Saturday, FPI gave the Vikings a 50.2% probability to qualify for the postseason.
Minnesota would be the sixth seed and would play the San Francisco 49ers on Wildcard Weekend if the playoffs began today.
