Murray’s Minnesota debut against the Green Bay Packers didn’t last long.
Kyler Murray’s highly anticipated debut in a Minnesota Vikings uniform was cut short Sunday afternoon.
After joining Minnesota this offseason and ultimately earning the starting quarterback job, Murray entered Week 1 with an opportunity to begin a new chapter of his career against the division-rival Green Bay Packers. Instead, his first appearance with the Vikings lasted less than a quarter before a scary hit brought his afternoon to an abrupt end.
Murray scrambled on a third-down play during the first quarter and began going to the ground when Packers defenders Lukas Van Ness and Javon Bullard converged on him. Murray took significant contact to the head on the play, with Bullard being flagged for unnecessary roughness.
The Vikings quarterback remained down following the collision as teammates immediately called for Minnesota’s medical staff. Murray eventually left the field and was taken to the locker room for further evaluation.
Minnesota initially announced that Murray was being evaluated for a concussion before later officially ruling him out for the remainder of the game.
Veteran Carson Wentz took over at quarterback in Murray’s absence. Wentz entered the season as Minnesota’s No. 2 quarterback after beating out J.J. McCarthy for the backup role.
It was an especially frustrating ending to Murray’s Vikings debut after his first pass attempt with the franchise was intercepted.
Attention will now shift toward Murray’s recovery and availability moving forward. With a concussion diagnosis, he’ll need to progress through the NFL’s concussion protocol before being cleared to return to action.
As Sunday’s game continues to unfold and more becomes known about Murray’s status moving forward, follow along with VikingsRoundtable for all the latest, including how Minnesota fares with Wentz at the helm for the remainder of the afternoon.
