The Chicago Bears are still unsure about which quarterback they should expect to face when they take on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2, but things appear to be looking up for Kyler Murray after the team’s most recent update on his health.
Murray exited in the first quarter of the Vikings’ 39-22 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday after sustaining a hit to the head that left him concussed. He watched the rest of the game from the sidelines as backup Carson Wentz led a fourth-quarter rally.
Naturally, Murray’s concussion raises questions about his status against the Bears in Week 2. He must clear the NFL’s concussion protocol before the Vikings can play him.
But while Murray has a few hurdles to clear before the Vikings can green-light him, head coach Kevin O’Connell would not rule him out for Week 2’s game against the Bears and told reporters Monday he came in feeling “pretty good” after the game.
“He was in meetings today,” O’Connell said Monday. “He’s not having the type of symptoms where he’s not able to be in meetings or things like that. He’s able to watch the tape, and we’ll just take it a day at a time and see how he’s doing and make the determination when that time comes.”
Would Bears Prefer to Face Kyler Murray or Carson Wentz?
The door seems open for Murray to clear the concussion protocol and start against the Bears in Week 2, but would it favor Chicago’s defense more to face him or Wentz?
Murray has thrown for 20,478 yards and 121 touchdowns in his 88 starts since coming into the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2019, but his first appearance for the Vikings left much to be desired — even before his concussion knocked him out of the game.
Murray threw an interception on his first regular-season pass in a Vikings uniform, putting the Packers in a position to snatch an early three-point lead. While he steadied a bit on the next drive, he went just 3-of-5 passing for 18 yards and took two carries for nine yards before the penalized hit from Javon Bullard forced him out of the game.
Meanwhile, Wentz looked relatively sharp in his 2026 debut. He took three sacks and had a few bad misses in the passing game, but he also completed 12 of his 19 passes for 133 yards and tossed three touchdowns to help the Vikings close a 12-point deficit in the third quarter and score 29 uncontested points to knock off the Packers.
From the Bears’ perspective, it is a matter of whether they prefer a matchup with a pocket passer or a more athletic quarterback who is unafraid of using his legs to pick up yardage. It won’t matter much if their defense struggles again in Week 2, though.
Defense Could Dictate Bears-Vikings Outcome in Week 2
The Bears may not care much which Vikings quarterback starts against them in Week 2, but they have plenty to clean up on defense after a poor effort against the Panthers.
While Chicago’s offense was explosive to the tune of 59 points and 552 total yards, the Bears had significant trouble pressuring and containing quarterback Bryce Young, who threw for 361 yards — second most in his career — and three touchdowns. He also connected with four different Panthers for receiving gains of more than 20 yards.
Quarterback aside, the Bears’ defense cannot afford to be as porous in Week 2, especially against a more challenging defense under Brian Flores’ play-calling direction.
Flores called blitzes on more than 82% of the Vikings’ defensive plays against the Packers, a strategy that he could repeat against quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears’ play-action-focused offense. Bears head coach Ben Johnson has similar prestige to Flores as an offensive playcaller, so there is a chance he will crack the code.
That said, defense will likely decide the result of Week 2’s divisional matchup.
Bears Get Update on Vikings’ QB Situation for Week 2 Showdown