Kyler Murray has been limited in practice this week as the Minnesota Vikings prepare for their Week 2 game against the Chicago Bears. If the Vikings decide to give Murray a week off to recover from the concussion that he suffered in the win over the Green Bay Packers, Carson Wentz will be QB1.
Wentz came off the bench and went 13-for-19 on his pass attempts for 133 passing yards and three touchdowns for a passer rating of 123.5 against the Packers. As a result, Wentz would have to replicate his performance against Green Bay to get the Vikings to 2-0 should he get the start.
If Wentz starts and helps Minnesota get to 2-0, there might be calls for the veteran to be the starter. However, former Vikings wideout Adam Thielen believes that Murray will be the starter once he’s ready to go.
“I think they made that decision in training camp,” Thielen said in a Sept. 17 appearance on 104.3 The Score in Chicago. “They chose Kyler Murray to be their starter, and there are multiple reasons for that. And I’m not in those meetings every day or at every practice, but from my perspective, I think it gives you a wider playbook.
“A guy who can still play on time and do all the things they want to do, but when the reads aren’t there, instead of taking a sack or throwing the ball away, he can just go move a little bit and sometimes it’s not a first down.”
Adam Thielen Explains Why Kyler Murray Will Still Be QB1
Thielen shared more details on why he believes Murray will become the Vikings’ QB1 once the team clears him of any concussion symptoms.
“Once he got settled in that game before he got hurt, he was able to get like five yards and make it a third-and-3 instead of a second-and-8 or third-and-10 or third-and-8,” Thielen added. “He was able to just get five yards, and sometimes they weren’t first downs.
“It’s like Caleb Williams; sometimes they’re not these big explosive runs, but now you’re ahead of the chain, so you have easier plays that you’re running on offense that the play caller is not like, ‘Oh shoot, I don’t have too many plays for third-and-12.’ And I think that’s what Kyler presents. So I would imagine once he’s fully healthy again, he’ll be back out there.”
Bears DC on Preparing to Face Vikings Amid QB Uncertainty
Regardless of whether it’s Murray or Wentz playing on Sept. 20, Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen explained how he’s preparing to face the Vikings offense amid uncertainty over their starting quarterback for Minnesota.
“I think the number one thing we got to defend is the Vikings offense, the offensive scheme,” Allen told reporters on Sept. 17. “I’ve had an opportunity to go against Kevin O’Connell a number of times, and schematically, there are similarities within every game plan that we’ve seen, and yet there are always a few wrinkles that they throw at us.
“I think when you look at the two quarterbacks, probably the biggest difference really is Kyler’s ability to get out and create with his feet. I think that’s a big part of what makes him special in terms of the quarterback position; I think that’s really the difference between the two quarterbacks in my mind.”
Adam Thielen Has Clear Vikings QB Take Amid Kyler Murray Injury