Kevin O'Connell Scrutiny Returns Amid Vikings QB Struggles

The Minnesota Vikings were supposed to have fixed it. The Vikings, after signing star quarterback Kyler Murray and adding former 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings were supposed to have found a permanent solution to their offensive woes. It hasn't turned out that way.

So far, Murray has been a disappointment for Minnesota fans, and Jennings has done close to nothing for the Vikings. Now, fans are wondering what's going wrong.

Tyler Forness of A-to-Z Sports discussed what is plaguing the team so far. He wrote on why Murray's progress has been so slow with the team.

"When the Vikings added Murray, it essentially ended McCarthy’s time in Minnesota and gave head coach Kevin O’Connell another opportunity to pick his quarterback. This is essentially O’Connell’s fourth quarterback after choosing to move on from Darnold, McCarthy, and, before them, Kirk Cousins.

I’m not going to beat around the bush: Murray hasn’t been good enough for the Vikings. Only once this season has Murray helped the Vikings put up more than 20 points on offense: 23-13 against the New Orleans Saints. Within those games, Murray has shown a lot of improvement, but nowhere near enough to feel confident that the Vikings have their guy.

The last two weeks have been viewed as the most frustrating so far, as the eye test was at times brutal. Murray has been leaving big plays on the field due to turning them down and his inaccuracies. Even so, when you look at the box scores, they really aren’t that bad.

Murray’s completion percentage was at its lowest over the last two weeks after peaking at 80% against the New Orleans Saints. Overall, the stats look pretty solid, albeit not great. They are ones you can work with and win football games. So, why doesn’t the eye test match?"

Forness is correct that Murray has gotten better over the season, and I would challenge the popular notion that he has been bad as the Vikings quarterback. He also has not been good.

There's a reason the Vikings are settling for field goals instead of touchdowns, and the quarterback often plays a role in it. But whether or not O'Connell is utilizing him correctly is up for debate.

The Vikings are enduring growing pains as Murray tries to fit O'Connell's system. Some, however, rightfully question whether or not Murray should have to fit the system or the system should simple mold around Murray.

The pressure is on O'Connell to make it work with Murray. He will hope to answer with a strong offensive game against the Buffalo Bills.