After being ruled out for Week 2 against the Chicago Bears, Kyler Murray is on his way back. In fact, Murray is set to reclaim his job as starting quarterback, taking over after Carson Wentz, who led Kevin O’Connell’s Minnesota Vikings to a 2-0 start—only the third for the franchise in the last 10 NFL seasons.
“Head Coach Kevin O’Connell has announced QB Kyler Murray has cleared the concussion protocol and will start Sunday at Tampa Bay,” as confirmed by the Vikings on the team’s official X account.
Despite playing clean football and avoiding any turnovers in consecutive wins to start the 2026 NFL season, Wentz is coming out of the starting lineup to make way for Murray.
Though both will become UFAs after the season, it makes sense that Minnesota is still trusting its 29-year-old signal-caller, who may have an unexplored ceiling, over Wentz (33), who may provide a more stable floor but a lower ceiling. Nevertheless, the shakeup at QB prior to the Buccaneers‘ game sends waves across the league.
Kyler Murray of the Vikings before Week 1 against the Packers.
Vikings make QB change after low-scoring Week 2 win
Indeed, Wentz and the offense barely produced anything in the 9-3 win over the Bears in Week 2 and were mainly wheeled to victory by Brian Flores’ defense and kicker Will Reichard, along with Caleb Williams’ injury, whose latest update is even better than Chicago imagined.
Still, Wentz led a comeback win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 and looked better than Murray did, even though the latter left the season opener less than 10 minutes into the game. Thus, the Vikings’ decision to send Murray right under center came as a surprise to many.
It’s not completely out of the blue, but some expected Minnesota to be cautious as Murray returns from concussion protocol, especially as the Vikings will face a lackluster Buccaneers team, which Wentz and company may be able to take care of, giving Murray more time to recover. Even if he’s cleared the protocol, every extra day of rest could make a big difference.
Wentz and Murray’s stats in 2026
Through his two games played for the Vikings in 2026, Wentz completed 23 of 39 pass attempts (59%) for 276 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Wentz has been sacked six times while putting up a 106.4 passer rating.
As for Murray, his sample size is extremely small, but that doesn’t make it any less concerning. Murray has completed three of his five pass attempts (60%) for 18 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. His passer rating so far is 27.5.
The fact that Murray’s first pass in a Vikings uniform was picked off and he sustained a serious head injury on his third drive are all concerning factors that won’t magically disappear because the former first overall selection cleared the league’s concussion protocol.
Potential trap game for Murray
Although having Murray’s back against a disappointing defense in Tampa Bay might be viewed optimistically, it also means he will go head-to-head with 11 defenders holding on to pent-up frustration, and that’s one dangerous cocktail.
Key takeaways
- Kyler Murray cleared concussion protocol and will start Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- Carson Wentz threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns across two games in relief.
- Minnesota achieved a 2-0 start for only the third time in ten seasons.
