Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray missed the remainder of the team’s Week 1 win against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday with a concussion after taking a big hit from Packers safety Javon Bullard and edge rusher Lukas Van Ness.
The former was called on a 15-yard penalty, although no further punishment has been levied on the second round safety as of yet.
Murray remains in concussion protocol, alongside Packers DE Van Ness, and was limited in practice on Wednesday. Whilst his official status for Sunday’s Week 2 matchup at the Chicago Bears, which could well be a sterner test than last week’s home game against Green Bay, is “questionable”, Vikings analyst Ben Leber predicts that the 29-year old will not start the game.
Kyler Murray Predicted to Sit out Week 2 Bears Matchup
“My gut says he doesn’t play. My gut says that a lot of this is smoke and mirrors and they can make Chicago feel like they have to prepare for a running quarterback and prepare for Kyler Murray whatever that looks like.” Leber said on KFAN 1003 radio on Thursday.
“It’s a little gamesmanship on our (the Vikings’) part to say that he is practicing on a limited basis and he’s out there getting some mental reps, and he’s getting a little physical reps. But I just can’t imagine that he’s going to get knocked unconscious in a game and play the following week.”
Leber makes a strong point, although around 1/3 of quarterbacks who are put into concussion protocol do not miss a game, so Murray playing the on Sunday would not exactly be a historical aberration.
Murray’s Stature and Week 1 Performance May Influence Decision
Something more important to factor into the equation may be Murray’s size.
At 5’10, 207 lbs, the former Arizona Cardinal is significantly smaller than the average NFL starting quarterback, so a hit to the head – even with it coming from a safety rather than a defensive lineman or a linebacker – is on average more impactful than it would likely be against a 6’4 240 lb signal caller.
Another thing to factor in concerns performance. Carson Wentz looked considerably better than Murray last week in-game, although it is hard to fully evaluate the ex-first overall pick’s play on just 11 offensive snaps.
But the difference was stark: Wentz had a 123.5 passer rating, whilst Murray’s 27.5 was more than 12 points lower than if he had just spiked the ball on every play.
After Wentz’s showing against Green Bay, head coach Kevin O’Connell would need a very high level of confidence in Murray being 100% ready to play in order to insert him back into the starting lineup so quickly.
Kyler Murray Receives Unfortunate Prediction for Week 2