Vikings Announce New Kyler Murray Update After Beating Bears

The Minnesota Vikings walked out of a soggy Soldier Field with a 9-3 win Sunday, but the performance under center left little doubt about who the team still views as its quarterback of the future.

Carson Wentz completed 11 of 20 passes for 143 yards in the rain. He absorbed three sacks and put the ball on the ground once, though Minnesota recovered the fumble.

Neither team found the end zone. Field goals and the weather decided a game that felt more like a grind than a statement.

Afterward, coach Kevin O’Connell offered the update Vikings fans wanted to hear about the man who started the season as QB1.

“Kevin O’Connell says that Kyler Murray remains on track to be cleared from concussion protocol early this week,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported via X.

That timeline points to Murray being available next Sunday when Minnesota visits the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Murray lasted only three series in his Vikings debut against Green Bay. He threw an interception on his first pass and then left after taking a hit on a scramble.

The concussion ended a long-awaited first look at the former Cardinals starter in Kevin O’Connell’s offense.

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said last week that the organization still wants to see what Murray’s dual-threat skill set can do once he is healthy.

“I think with Kyler … everyone was looking forward to seeing the different dimensions this offense can have with a really dynamic quarterback who could move to throw,” Rapoport told the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, September 15.

“I’d be surprised if Wentz was their starting quarterback. Kyler is gonna come back, and I would expect it to be him.”

Wentz had given the team a lift seven days earlier, throwing for 133 yards and three touchdowns in relief.

The conditions in Chicago made it difficult to recapture that rhythm against a Bears defense that allowed 37 points in its season opener.

Minnesota is now 2-0. Wentz’s record as a Vikings starter sits at 3-3 after the low-scoring win.

J.J. McCarthy, who started 10 games last season and went 6-4, served as the emergency option Sunday but did not take a snap.

The Vikings signed Murray to a one-year deal this offseason after Arizona released him, betting his mobility could create new problems for defenses.

A dominant outing from Wentz might have forced a longer look at the veteran. Instead, the modest numbers and three sacks keep the door open for Murray’s return.

Tampa Bay will present a different test than the rain-soaked Bears. If Murray clears protocol as expected, he is in line to take the first snap.

The Vikings have already shown they like what they saw enough in camp and the brief Week 1 sample to stick with the plan. Sunday’s ugly win did not change that.