Kyler Murray was officially named the Vikings‘ starting quarterback on August 12, and many have extremely high expectations for him going into his first season in Minnesota.
Future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski actually named Murray his dark-horse MVP pick when speaking to Kay Adams last week.
“Kyler Murray has all the tools to be great; his athleticism, and he’s got a great arm,” Gronkowski said. “He’s in a situation where either he succeeds, or the NFL moves on from him. This is kind of a prove-it season, and he couldn’t be in a better situation to prove it this year. Kyler Murray has a chance to shine and show what he’s all about here in Minnesota.”
Murray and the Vikings also have a soft landing spot with their season opener against the Packers. Sure, Green Bay made the playoffs (in their annual seventh-seed position), but they’ll also be down their two best players to kick off the season.
Running back Josh Jacobs is on the NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List until his ongoing legal battle is resolved. Meanwhile, edge rusher Micah Parsons is on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after tearing his ACL late last season.
Despite their differing 2025 campaigns, the Vikings are actually 1.5-point favorites at home in the season opener. Murray is also expected to have a big game against the Packers’ underwhelming defense.
Murray Named “Start Of The Week” By NFL.com
Murray has all the weapons needed to get off to a fast start (and sustain the hot streak, for that matter) against Green Bay. NFL.com’s fantasy football expert Matt Okada expects him to do just that. He named Murray as his “Start of the Week” at quarterback ahead of their Week One divisional clash.
“Murray and Jalen Hurts are the only quarterbacks with 500-plus rush yards over expected and a positive career completion rate over expected in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016). In fantasy, that’s indicative of a high floor and a high ceiling,” Okada wrote. “In his Minnesota debut, Murray faces the Packers sans Micah Parsons, who will miss at least the first four games as he makes his way back from a knee injury. Armed with Kevin O’Connell’s play-calling and Justin Jefferson at receiver, Murray is my very first Start of the Week.”
The Packers Defense Struggled Without Micah Parsons Last Year
Green Bay’s defense played pretty well when Micah Parsons was on the field last season. They held opposing offenses under 300 yards eight times over their 14 games with him in the lineup, including one matchup where they held the Vikings to a season-low 145 total yards.
Conversely, they weren’t stopping anyone after he went down. They gave up an average of 405.5 yards per game over the final four contests after he tore his ACL. The JJ McCarthy/Max Brosmer-led Vikings set the low-water mark over that span with 363 yards in the regular-season finale.
The Vikings should be able to move the ball with ease on the Packers’ defense last season with Murray at the helm. Aside from a new starting cornerback (second-round selection Brandon Cisse), the Packers didn’t make any major additions to their defense this offseason.
The one factor that could decide the matchup is his experience with Jonathan Gannon’s defense (and potentially vice versa). Gannon was Murray’s head coach for three years in Arizona, and they had time to learn each other’s tendencies in the desert. Murray showed respect to his former coach when speaking to reporters on Thursday.
“Expect [the Packers defense] to play super hard and be competitive,” Murray said. “A lot more things, but nonetheless, JG, I loved my time with him. So, I know how hard he’s going to coach his guys and how hard he’s going to have them playing. So, that’s something we got to be ready for.”
While Gannon was a great hire after the Dolphins poached Jeff Hafley to be their head coach this offseason, it might take him a few weeks to get to know his personnel. Murray might be able to cash in on that fact.
Vikings’ Kyler Murray Expected To Have A Standout Performance Against Green Bay