The Minnesota Vikings are headed into the bye week undefeated after quarterback Kyler Murray finally looked something like the player the team hoped it was getting when inking him to a league-minimum contract over the offseason.
Murray, now 29 years old, took a page from his past and produced a vintage performance that consisted of 229 yards and one TD on 24-of-30 passing alongside 10 rushes for 51 yards.
The Vikings offense produced a total of just 23 points, but it was enough to win comfortably by two scores (23-13) and vault the Vikings to 5-0 with a chance to get healthy over the next 14 days before they return to action against the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on October 25.
Murray took to Instagram following the victory, where he posted a series of 10 photos of himself and his teammates in the locker room and on the field, as well as some individual pictures at non-football locations.
Murray captioned the post with a five-word message, the meaning of which is at least somewhat ambiguous.
“Oh how I’ve missed you…” he wrote.
Kyler Murray, Vikings Offense Navigated Out of Multi-Game Rut Against Saints
If Murray was talking about the version of himself capable of playing exceptionally well under center and leading an NFL team to meaningful regular-season road win, then it is fair to say that much of the Vikings fanbase has missed that guy, too — or at least as much as anyone can miss somebody they have technically never met.
Murray had not inspired much confidence since arriving in Minnesota, save for some decent play in the fourth quarter of the team’s Week 4 home win over the hapless Miami Dolphins.
He suffered a concussion on the Vikings’ third offensive drive of the season in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers and did not return until Week 3. Across three starts and nine quarters of play heading into Sunday, Murray led Minnesota on just one touchdown drive over 24 offensive possessions.
The Vikings found the end zone twice against the Saints in Week 5, while kicker Will Reichard continued his excellent play this season by connecting on all five of his kicks on the afternoon (3-of-3 on field goal attempts, 2-of-2 on extra point tries).
Vikings in Strange Place With QB Kyler Murray This Season
Murray’s situation in Minnesota is so unique for a variety of reasons.
First, the Arizona Cardinals released Murray despite owing him north of $36 million in 2026. That allowed the Vikings to pick him up on a $1.3 million deal, which is an unheard of salary for a starting-level quarterback in the contemporary NFL.
However, part of that agreement is a no-franchise tag clause. That means that no matter what, the Vikings either have to negotiate a longterm extension with Murray before free agency in March 2027 or let the quarterback hit the open market and compete with other franchises for his services.
If Murray plays poorly, the Vikings can walk away from him and avoid a dangerous multi-year deal for an undersized and injury-prone signal-caller who will play next season at 30 years old. However, a lack of quality QB play will seriously impact their chances at a Super Bowl run — a viable notion given how well the defense and special teams units have performed thus far.
But if Murray continues to play as he did on Sunday, Minnesota’s hands could be tied after the debacle that was parting ways with Sam Darnold — who went on to win a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks last season — in order to elevate JJ McCarthy into a starting role despite zero NFL experience at that point in his career.
The Vikings traded McCarthy, still just 23 years old, to the New York Giants a couple of weeks back for a fifth-round pick after starting the No. 10 overall selection in the 2024 draft a total of just 10 games.
Vikings QB Kyler Murray Drops Cryptic 5-Word Message After Win Over Saints