The official announcement has not been made, but the best choice head coach Kevin O’Connell can make is to keep Josh Dobbs in the lineup and not go with Nick Mullens or Jaren Hall. Dobbs may have made a few turnovers, but he gives the Vikings the best chance to beat the Las Vegas Raiders this week.

Here’s how O’Connell left it during the Vikings bye week. “So, when you’re looking at our skill group overall, I think the quarterback position needs to be evaluated to just figure out what we think gives us the best chance to win – both on individual skill sets of all three of those guys – and take a look at that for what’s the best fit, right now, for our team. We’re in the process of doing that.”

The likely announcement on the Vikings’ starter at quarterback will come Wednesday, according to offensive coordinator Wes Phillips.

Dobbs has completed 85 of 128 passes for 832 yards with 5 TD passes and 5 interceptions in a Vikings uniform. He has also run for 142 yards and 3 TDs, but he has fumbled 6 times.

If they can’t win in Vegas, another choice may have to be made before the Vikings go to Cincinnati in Week 15, but Dobbs deserves to have a chance to play with Justin Jefferson.

The best receiver in the NFL returns this week, and that should open the Vikings offense up. The big question for the Minnesota offense will be the play of right tackle Brian O’Neill. When Dobbs leaves the pocket, he is much more effective at rolling out to his right, and O’Neill has to do a decent job against Vegas pass rusher Maxx Crosby.

When it comes to athleticism and acceleration, Crosby is nearly as explosive as the Vikings’ Danielle Hunter, so the Vikings must prepare for his ability to turn the corner.

O’Connell can’t just leave it to chance or simply believe that O’Neill will get the job done. He must get help from tight end Josh Oliver – the No. 2 tight end to T.J. Hockenson.

Oliver can block very well, and the combination of O’Neill and Oliver should allow the Vikings to prevent Crosby causing havoc on a regular basis. If Dobbs can roll to his right so he can make plays with his arm or legs, the Vikings should have a chance to mount a number of productive drives. If the Raiders keep Dobbs from rolling out in his favored direction, it could be a long afternoon in Sin City.

Center Garrett Bradbury says the team continues to have faith in Dobbs as the team’s quarterback. "Josh has been great," Bradbury said. "He was thrown in the fire. Learning this offense as fast as he has, that's a tough task. Tip my cap to him because it's not easy. He's done a great job extending plays, using his feet and making plays down the field. He's been a lot of fun to play for. Everyone's got to do their part a little bit better."

Other than Crosby, the Raiders defense looks ordinary. They rank 20^th in yards allowed per game and 18^th in scoring defense, and there’s little that should intimidate a rocket scientist like Dobbs.

On the other hand, Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell is far from a proven commodity at this point. The rookie has completed 113 of 178 passes for 1,194 yards with 4 TD passes and 6 interceptions. He has been sacked 13 times for 101 yards in losses.

The Vikings defense should be able to get after O’Connell with far greater ease than Justin Fields. The Bears quarterback is among the most athletic signal callers in the league and his speed allowed him to get away from Hunter – 13.5 sacks – several times in the Week 12 Monday night loss.

It is doubtful that O’Connell can match Fields’ escapability. That should help Hunter and D.J. Wonnum (6.0 sacks) as they attack the pocket.

The Vikings are still in the playoff structure as the No. 6 seed in the NFC. That position is tenuous as they are pursued by the Packers, Rams and Seahawks.