The Vikings’ offense is already juggling a pair of fresh injury concerns heading into Sunday’s trip to Chicago, with quarterback Kyler Murray limited in practice and running back Jordan Mason headed to short-term injured reserve.
Coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday that Murray was a limited participant at TCO Performance Center as he moves through the NFL’s concussion protocol. According to O’Connell, Murray has cleared three of the five phases. He didn’t shut the door on Murray playing against the Bears at Soldier Field, but made clear the final call belongs to the medical staff.
"The good thing is the amount of reps he got from competing and being named the starter, he’s got a lot of reps logged away. We’re taking it period by period as far as the plan we have, we’re monitoring how he’s doing," O’Connell said.
"He’s got to be medically cleared before we even have the conversation of playing in the game. The protocol is kind of the guiding light behind all this."
Murray left during the first quarter of Sunday’s win over the Packers after taking a heavy hit from Javon Bullard. He went 3-of-5 for 18 yards, and his first pass as a Viking was intercepted before he exited. O’Connell said Monday the hit was "violent and physical," but not dirty.
If Murray is unable to go, Carson Wentz would take over under center. Wentz threw for 133 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday’s comeback win.
The Vikings also got bad news on the backfield front. O’Connell said Jordan Mason will go on short-term injured reserve because of a small fracture in his thumb, sidelining him for at least four games. Mason carried 15 times for 59 yards and a touchdown against Green Bay.
That leaves Aaron Jones as the lead back, with Demond Claiborne expected to be available. The team also added DeeJay Dallas to the active roster, and he already made his presence felt with a key block that helped spring Myles Price on a 68-yard kick return that fueled the comeback.
Chicago presents a different kind of challenge. The Bears rolled in their opener, beating Carolina 59-37 while piling up 552 total yards.
Their ground game did most of the damage, producing 291 rushing yards and six touchdowns. De’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai combined for 224 yards and four scores, while Caleb Williams added 269 passing yards, two touchdown passes and 65 rushing yards.
"At their core, they want to run the football. When they can run it, it opens up everything they want to do there. We have to start with a good plan there," O’Connell said.
The Vikings have won six straight games at Soldier Field, and they’ll try to keep that streak alive when they kick off at noon Sunday in Chicago.
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