In Week 1, the Minnesota Vikings lost starting QB Kyler Murray to a concussion in the first quarter. On Sept. 19, the NFL announced its fines for the previous week and decided not to fine the two Green Bay Packers involved in the play: Lukas Van Ness and Javon Bullard.
The league fined Van Ness $17,911 for a third-quarter hit on the quarterback at the 11:13 mark, meaning the QB on that play was Carson Wentz, not Murray. Meanwhile, Bullard didn’t receive any fine for the hit on Murray, so it appears that the league didn’t have an issue with the play.
Lukas Van Ness: $17,911 for a hit on the QB — but apparently not the one on Kyler Murray. According to the NFL it was for a third-quarter hit on Carson Wentz.
Evan Williams: $7,087 for a hit on a defenseless player.
After the win over the Packers, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t call the hit that led to Murray suffering a concussion as a dirty play.
“It would be one thing if there was a headfirst slide and a clear declaration [of giving himself up],” O’Connell said on Sept. 14 (h/t Kevin Seifert of ESPN). “But I don’t put any fault on anybody there.”
Once Murray was out of the game, Wentz came off the bench and went 13-for-19 on his pass attempts for 133 passing yards and three touchdowns, posting a passer rating of 123.5 against the Packers to lead the Vikings to the win.
Kyler Murray Shouldn’t Lose QB1 Status If Vikings Win
If Wentz gets the Vikings to 2-0, there may 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.”
Bears Defense Were Preparing for Minnesota Offense
Meanwhile, the Vikings’ decision to go with Wentz likely didn’t catch the Chicago Bears off guard, since defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was preparing for the offense itself rather than whoever is under center.
“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.”
NFL Makes Final Decision on Packers Hit Involving Vikings’ Kyler Murray