For Nick Mullens, Vikings QB job has required patience this season

The lessons that 28-year-old quarterback Nick Mullens said he has learned through a trying season, which has included a strained lower back, a five-week stay on injured reserve and a recent benching, also apply to how Vikings coaches want him to approach Sunday's game in Detroit.

"Just stay patient," Mullens said Thursday. "Do your job. Don't do too much."

The Vikings turned back to Mullens for a third start in the last four games after rookie quarterback Jaren Hall struggled and was benched in Sunday's loss to the Packers. The offense has been productive with Mullens, who threw for 411 yards and two touchdowns in the Dec. 24 loss to the Lions. But head coach Kevin O'Connell cited poor decisionmaking in his four interceptions.

Playing a clean game is Mullens' focus ahead of his 20th NFL start. Just twice this season the Vikings haven't turned the ball over in a game (both wins, against the Raiders and Saints).

"If you make smart decisions," Mullens said, "the plays are going to present themselves."

This will be Mullens' fifth appearance in a game for the Vikings, but just the third week he's been given the starter's reps at practice, which is a boost he feels.

"You get to know the nuances of the play," Mullens said. "As a backup, you try to learn those and feel those on your own time. But as a starter, you get the reps, you get the feel. Different guys are going to run routes differently, so you get to feel how they're going to run the route. ... You get more comfortable, and that creates confidence."

Coaches are focused on more than the quarterback, looking at which players have fumbled and dropped many opportunities. Only the Browns (35) have more turnovers than the Vikings' 32 this season.

"We've got to be better around him, frankly," coordinator Wes Phillips said. "Everybody else, when the backup is in, they have to do their jobs just right and be where they're supposed to be and make sure they're not the reason some of these things are happening."

Six Vikings players did not practice Thursday, including two — left tackle Christian Darrisaw (illness) and cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (shoulder) — who practiced the previous day. Blackmon played through a left shoulder injury against Green Bay that he suffered in the Dec. 24 loss to Detroit. He was limited in Wednesday's practice.

Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (knee), right tackle Brian O'Neill (ankle), receiver Jalen Nailor (concussion) and defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy (ankle) remained sidelined. The five available cornerbacks at practice were Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth Jr., NaJee Thompson, Jaylin Williams and Joejuan Williams.

Four players were limited: safety Harrison Smith (shoulder), guard Ed Ingram (shoulder), safety Theo Jackson (toe) and tight end Nick Muse (knee).

The Lions practiced without three ailing starters: center Frank Ragnow (knee/back/toe), receiver Jameson Williams (ankle) and defensive lineman Benito Jones (illness).

The Vikings are getting their money's worth from defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, whose workload — 844 snaps (73%) — has been greater than most NFL interior defenders.

Only seven NFL defensive tackles, including the highest-paid players such as the Rams' Aaron Donald and the Commanders' Jonathan Allen, have played more for their teams through 16 games, according to Pro Football Reference. Phillips, 27, is signed through 2024 on a deal that ranks 39th in average salary among defensive tackles, per Over the Cap.

He had played through a back injury the past two weeks.

"It's been a grind, I can tell you that much," said Phillips, the team's Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee for his charitable work. "You play a lot of snaps, but there's no reason to throw a pity party. ... Get back to work and figure out how we can build this thing for the future."

Former All-Pro Kevin Williams, who is in the team's Ring of Honor and was known as the "Big Ticket," was the last Vikings defensive tackle to play at least 70% in a season in 2012, according to Pro Football Reference.

The Vikings defense ranks 12th in points allowed under Brian Flores, but he ranks fourth among NFL defensive coordinators, according to an annual NFL Players Association survey that will be released in a couple of months. Last year, the union asked players to grade their teams in various categories from nutrition and facilities to family treatment (the Vikings ranked No. 1 overall). This year, they also asked players to grade their coordinators.

The association released the top five results for each on Thursday, and both special teams coordinator Matt Daniels, who ranked third, and Flores were among the league's highest-graded coaches by their own players.

"Defensively it's one of the more connected groups I've been a part of," linebacker Anthony Barr said last month. "I think that goes a long way. Guys really believe in themselves, and I think that comes from coaching instilling that belief. I think that's one of the most important parts of playing: confidence."