Kyler Murray’s start to his Minnesota Vikings career went awry on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, as he was knocked out of the game with a concussion suffered on just the third offensive possession for the team.
The hits he took from two Green Bay Packers players were vicious, and after he officially entered concussion protocol, the question became whether he would be missing game time moving forward.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell, though, gave an update on his starting quarterback Monday following the Vikings’ come-from-behind victory to beat their NFC North rival, where he said Murray came into the building feeling “pretty good.”
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O’Connell confirmed that Murray is in concussion protocol, but he said that the quarterback was participating in team meetings.
The Vikings will be taking it “a day at a time,” he said, while the medical staff makes sure Murray passes each step of protocol.
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In turn, Murray’s status for Week 2’s matchup against the Chicago Bears, who poured 59 points on the Carolina Panthers in their win on Sunday, is up in the air.
However, Vikings fans seeing the initial blow may have thought Murray would not be available next week. Instead, there is hope so long as he clears protocol.
Before suffering his injury, which came after Murray tucked and ran before a late slide led to the two defenders sandwiching him on the turf, he went 3-of-5 for 18 yards. He also threw an interception on the very first snap of his regular-season Vikings career, throwing a jump ball after the Packers brought a blitz immediately at the line of scrimmage.
Once Murray was off the field, veteran Carson Wentz, whom the Vikings kept on after serving in a backup role last season, was called upon to lead Minnesota for the remainder of the home opener.
The result was a composed, effective performance from Wentz, who completed 12 of 19 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns in the 39-22 win.
Should Murray be unable to play in Week 2, Wentz would almost certainly draw the start for Minnesota, with J.J. McCarthy — the team’s first-round pick in 2024 — expected to serve as his backup.
