The Green Bay Packers have been issued a warning around Kyle Murray before their Week 1 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Green Bay Packers will get a chance to kick off the new NFL season in a big way, taking on the rival Minnesota Vikings.
Both teams will be vying for the NFC North this season, making this game crucial, despite it being in Week 1. Division matchups are never easy, and whoever is able to come away with the win will be set up well for the rest of the year.
The Packers will enter this game down a few key players, including running back Josh Jacobs (off-the-field misconduct) and edge rusher Micah Parsons (injury). This could spell trouble for Green Bay, but the team is confident that they will be able to overcome these absences.
Heading into the game, Bleacher Report's NFL staff predicted the outcome, with five of the seven staff members picking Green Bay. But within a prediction from analyst Brad Gagnon, the Packers were given a warning about Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray.
"I don't know how I feel about the Packers opening the season on the road against a sneaky-good division rival without Josh Jacobs and Micah Parsons. Throw in the unpredictability factor with Kyler Murray, and I think Green Bay is in a tough situation here," Gagnon wrote.
Murray comes to the Vikings from the Arizona Cardinals looking to reestablish his value around the NFL. When healthy, Murray has been electric on the football field, showing the ability to be a real dual-threat quarterback.
But injuries have limited him in recent years. Against the Packers, Murray will be trying to expose the Green Bay defense without Parsons, and he has the ability to make life tough for them.
The Packers are going to have to make sure that they keep Murray in the pocket as much as possible. If Murray is able to get his legs involved in this game, it could be a long matchup for the Packers.
Green Bay can't afford to drop games like this, even this early in the year. So, the entire unit will need to make life uncomfortable for Murray, forcing him to beat them by only throwing the ball.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love is going to have to play well to match the explosiveness of the Vikings' offense. Love had a good season a year ago, but the entire team as a whole collapsed at the end of the season.
Kickoff between the Packers and Vikings is scheduled for 1:25 p.m. PT/4:25 p.m ET on Sunday from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
