Kyler Murray Knocked Out of Vikings Debut With Concussion

Early Exit for Murray

The highly anticipated debut of Kyler Murray for the Minnesota Vikings came to a sudden halt on Sunday. The quarterback suffered a concussion during the first quarter of the game against the Green Bay Packers and was forced to leave the field.

Murray had signed a one year contract with the team back in March. This move came after he spent seven seasons playing for the Arizona Cardinals. Unfortunately, his first regular season game with his new team ended almost as soon as it began.

The Injury on the Field

The injury occurred at the end of a one yard scramble. Murray took a hard hit from Packers safety Javon Bullard. During the play, Packers defensive end Lukas Van Ness also pulled Murray's helmet off.

Murray lay motionless on the turf for a brief moment. His teammates quickly realized something was wrong and began waving for medical staff to come onto the field. After remaining down for several minutes, Murray was able to get to his feet and walk straight to the locker room. The team soon announced he was being evaluated for a concussion and ruled him out for the rest of the game.

Wentz Steps Up

With Murray out, veteran quarterback Carson Wentz took over. Wentz was named the backup quarterback just last week. He immediately made an impact, leading the team down the field to secure their first points of the game with a 38 yard field goal.

J.J. McCarthy, who is the primary starter for the Vikings in 2025, served as the emergency third quarterback. Under NFL rules, he could only enter the game if both Murray and Wentz became unavailable.

What it means for the next game

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (NFL, Sun, 20 Sep): Chicago Bears win 61%, Minnesota Vikings win 39%; projected score Chicago Bears 24, Minnesota Vikings 20. Our safest pick: Bears to win. Our best value pick: Under 45.5 points.