Joshua Dobbs Roasted With Astronaut-Themed Jokes After Coming Back to Earth
In the world of sports, praise can be rather fleeting. Just ask Joshua Dobbs about that.
The Passtronaut, as the quarterback has become known , must have felt like he was following a Hollywood movie script. He was dealt to the Minnesota Vikings and stepped under center without even knowing his teammates' names, but still delivered a Week 9 win. The next time out, he earned another "W." But since then, the worm has turned.
The Vikings absorbed a tough loss to the Broncos in Week 11, and during Week 12's Monday Night Football, the club laid a collective egg. Dobbs, however, was at the heart of the problem.
And social media, which had been full of praise for him mere weeks ago, took notice.
Sound like a raw deal? For better or worse, that's the life of a quarterback.
Joshua Dobbs listens for a play call during the second quarter against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 27, 2023, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The quarterback struggled on Monday night and became the butt of social media jokes. Adam Bettcher/Dobbs Came Back to Earth on Monday
On paper, most NFL fans would have expected the Vikings, even without Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson, to beat the Bears. Chicago has struggled this year, and divisional games haven't been a happy hunting ground for the club .
But football games aren't played on paper.
Defense dominated a tight-scoring game and, despite a scare in the fourth quarter, the Bears escaped with a 12-10 victory. And Dobbs, who has become a breakout star since moving to Minnesota, stole the show for the wrong reasons.
On the evening, the Passtronaut completed 22 of 32 passes, but only accumulated 185 yards. He threw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but also threw a back-breaking four interceptions.
"Turnovers really control the game, so it starts with me and taking care of the football with my decision-making," Dobbs said after the game. "No matter what happens on the other end, it's giving the receiver a good ball and getting the ball where it needs to go based on the coverage. I acknowledge it. I'm frustrated with myself."
Social Media Had Plenty of Space Jokes
While it's not perfect, social media can be a barometer for public opinion. And, on Monday night, Dobbs went from the penthouse to the outhouse.
On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter , there were plenty of jokes about the quarterback's performance. And due to his time with NASA , many of them came with a bit of outer space flair.
Every astronaut’s goal is to return to earth, so Josh Dobbs’ performance tonight should not be surprising.— Dusty Harrah November 28, 2023Other tweets, like ones from users T3Jab, focused on the fact that Dobbs had the potential to work in a pretty cool alternative career, but he chose to play professional football and take the lumps that come with that.
What’s crazy is Josh Dobbs could be working at NASA right now but he chose to be the worst quarterback I’ve ever seen in my life with my money on the line— UE November 28, 2023Some preferred to riff on aliens, saying that NASA denied knowledge of Dobbs, or compared the quarterback's performance to a fiery SpaceX test.
NASA official denies any knowledge of brilliant young man named Joshua Dobbs.— Patrick Reusse November 28, 2023 Josh Dobbs has gone from NASA to SpaceX. #Skol pic.twitter.com/FO3pPxHVfZ — Nick Lewis 3⃣7⃣ November 28, 2023Alternatively, Hard Rock Bet leaned on the classic "Stop X or Y" format while jazzing things up with an image of Dobbs from his time with NASA. His choice, at least for the night, was clear.
Stop throwing interceptions or become an astronautJoshua Dobbs: pic.twitter.com/ExJYBKDulf — Hard Rock Bet November 28, 2023
Dobbs' Night Is the Reality of Pro Sports
Losing the game and being roasted on social media wasn't the full extent of Dobbs' difficult night. The signal-caller might have also lost his starting job with the Vikings.
During his post-game press conference, Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell was non-committal about the quarterback position.
"We're going to take a look, you know really evaluate the inventory of plays now we have of Josh," O'Connell said, when asked if he would consider a quarterback change.
While that's completely reasonable—Dobbs threw four picks in what should have been a winnable game—it still underscores the harsh realities of life in the pros. After the Passtronaut moved to Minnesota, he was a real-life Cinderella story. He became the NFL's social media header and took over the football landscape.
But now, after two losses, he's being mocked online and may be headed back to the bench.
That's not to say that cracking jokes about a poor performance is unacceptable, or that we should all hold hands and sing "Kumbaya" after an ugly loss. But it does provide a bit more dimension to the "life as a professional athlete" picture. The highs are high, but the lows can be just as low. That's especially true if you're a fringe player rather than a star.
With Dobbs, we've seen that trajectory run its course within a few weeks.
As the cliche says, what goes up must come down. Someone with an aerospace background should understand that reality a bit better than most.
