Kevin O’Connell didn’t leave much room for a quarterback controversy in Minnesota.
On Friday, the Vikings coach said he expects Kyler Murray to clear concussion protocol and be ready for Week 3, when Minnesota goes to Tampa to face the Buccaneers. That lines up with the final Week 2 injury report, which rules Murray out for Chicago and makes it clear this is not a true open competition.
Murray got knocked out 11 plays into his Vikings debut last week, and Carson Wentz handled the rest. He helped rally Minnesota from a deficit to beat the rival Green Bay Packers, finishing his first appearance since 2025’s Week 8 by going 12-of-19 for 133 yards and three touchdowns.
That kind of outing was always going to stir things up. Early in the week, some fans and media voices were already pushing Wentz as the new QB1. By the time the reaction settled down, the conversation had shifted to a more modest idea: maybe Wentz could earn the job if he puts together another strong performance against the rival Chicago Bears.
O’Connell, though, has already drawn the line.
Murray was on the field for all three practices this week and, as O’Connell said, "felt good this week working through it," according to the coach’s Friday conversation with ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. O’Connell also said he "fully anticipates" Murray clearing the protocol next week, which would put him on track to start in Tampa. At this point, medical clearance is the only thing standing in the way.
Wentz can still make Sunday matter. A three-touchdown game against a Bears team that scored 59 points in Week 1 would carry more weight than what he did against Green Bay, when the Packers had no Wentz-specific game plan.
But even that wouldn’t undo the offseason pecking order. Murray won the starting job over J.J.
McCarthy, and O’Connell picked Wentz as the veteran backup.
Chicago will be ready for Wentz in a way Green Bay wasn’t. Still, if Murray had cleared protocol, he would have been the quarterback you’d want against the Bears.
His dual-threat skill set gives Minnesota more ways to stress a defense and keep Chicago off balance. That chance won’t come this week.
There is still one path that could stretch Wentz’s run: if Murray hits a setback and needs more time. Otherwise, Sunday is not about deciding the starter. It’s about seeing whether Wentz can keep Minnesota afloat for a week without its regular quarterback - the same reason the Vikings brought him back after he started five games and went 2-3 last season.
Wentz can absolutely win the game and keep the conversation alive. He just won’t knock Murray out of the top spot with one more good start.
In Other News...
Kyle Van Noy May Be Forcing The Vikings Into A Decision
Kyle Van Noys status has become one of the more interesting roster calls facing the Vikings this early in the season. After being elevated from the practice squad for Week 2 against the Bears, the veteran edge rusher is in line for his second straight game with the team, a sign Minnesota may be weighing whether to keep him around beyond a temporary move.
Van Noy logged 25 defensive snaps in the previous game and is expected to remain part of the rotation off the edge, which gives the Vikings a useful layer of depth as they sort through their front seven. The same elevation also brought rookie receiver Dillon Bell onto the game-day roster, but Van Noys repeated call-ups are the part that could eventually force a bigger decision about how the Vikings want to handle his role moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams Exit Suddenly Looms Over Vikings Bears Rivalry
Caleb Williams exit in the fourth quarter of Sundays Bears-Vikings game put a sudden jolt into a rivalry that already had plenty riding on it. On a non-contact play, the Bears quarterback went down with a hamstring injury, then had to be carried off before being carted to the locker room, turning what had been a tense divisional matchup into one with a much bigger concern hanging over Chicago.
For the Vikings, the bigger picture is less about one play than what it might mean for a division opponent already dealing with uncertainty at quarterback. Medical experts who looked at the injury believe it is a hamstring strain, the kind that can force a player to miss time, and the timing could matter well beyond one afternoon in Week 2. [Read more 🡒]
Bears QB Exit Suddenly Changed Everything For The Vikings
The Vikings watched a divisional game flip in an instant late in Week 2, when Bears quarterback Caleb Williams went down with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter and could not continue. Tyson Bagent stepped in after Chicago confirmed the injury, abruptly changing the look and rhythm of a matchup Minnesota had spent most of the afternoon trying to control.
For a Vikings team tracking every wrinkle in the NFC North, the timing matters almost as much as the injury itself. Ben Johnson is expected to offer more after the game, but for now Minnesota is left to sort through what Williams exit means for a rivalry game that suddenly has a very different feel. [Read more 🡒]