Kyler Murray's rough start has Vikings facing an uncomfortable 'what if?'
· Yahoo Sports
It’s never too early to panic in the NFL, and Kyler Murray has given Vikings fans ample reason to be concerned through two starts.
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Murray looked awful in 11 snaps before suffering a concussion against the Packers in Week 1, and he was arguably even worse from start to finish in Minnesota’s 23-16 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday.
If you rewind time to February, before the Vikings signed Murray to a one-year contract, they were rumored to be interested in free agent Geno Smith and former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.
“I’ve also heard that the Vikings are considering Murray and Smith as they outline their veteran quarterback plan,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on March 1. “Tua Tagovailoa and (Kirk) Cousins are also on their radar. Some I’ve talked to are breaking those four into two tiers, with Murray and Smith in the first group.”
Smith wound up being traded from the Raiders to the Jets just days before the Vikings signed Murray. But it’s not like the Vikings couldn’t have outbid the Jets, who gave up a 2026 sixth-round pick for Smith and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick.
Instead, the Vikings held onto their draft capital and signed Murray to a one-year, $1.3 million deal. Smith’s deal with New York pays him $3.3 million for one season.
Smith has been awesome for the Jets, completing 75.8 percent of his passes for 783 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Against Detroit on Sunday, Smith completed 31 of 37 passes and threw three touchdowns despite playing without his No. 2 receiver, Adonai Mitchell.
Sep 27, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) throws the ball against the Detroit Lions during the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Everyone knew that Smith could be a stud in Minnesota’s offense, just like he was when he torched the NFL with the Seahawks from 2022 to 2024, earning two Pro Bowl selections while throwing 71 touchdown passes and completing 68.5 percent of his attempts.
Smith’s 95.5 passer rating during those three years ranked 14th, just behind Baker Mayfield and Justin Herbert. He was third in completion percentage, fourth in passing yards, eighth in passing touchdowns, and in the top three in both fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives.
Here’s what our Will Ragatz wrote about Smith versus Murray back in March.
“Smith is a better scheme fit in Minnesota than someone like Kyler Murray, given his ability to make the intermediate throws over the middle of the field that Kevin O’Connell loves. Smith is also an outstanding deep-ball thrower, which would sync up well with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. He’s more willing than Murray to stand in the pocket and make throws under pressure instead of bailing out and looking to scramble. The one scheme concern would be that Smith hasn’t operated much from under center, but there’s no reason to think he’s incapable of doing so.“
Cousins didn’t sign with the Raiders until early April. He was never as realistic since he cost more ($20 million this season), but he might’ve looked pretty darn good wearing purple and gold again. The 38-year-old leads the NFL with nine touchdown passes, having led the Raiders to wins over the Dolphins, Chargers, and Saints, the latter two coming on the road.
Sep 27, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) reacts after defeating against the New Orleans Saintsat Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
Murray, who at one point against Tampa Bay misfired on 11 of 13 passes, has historically been an accurate passer, so there’s a strong chance that he turns things around after an ugly start. On top of that, the Vikings have started 3-0, thus making the QB transition, as rough as it’s been, easier to stomach.
“I mean, it’s only Week 3. That was my first game, really. And again, like I said, (Jefferson) went down. I think we’re going to get better each and every week,” Murray said Sunday. “Obviously, today we didn’t feel like we played our best game.”
Today was Kyler Murray’s 87th regular season start with at least 10 pass attempts.
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) September 28, 2026
His 66.5 passer rating in Tampa is the third-lowest in that sample. It shouldn’t be controversial to suggest that he’s going to play better than he did today.
Better days are likely ahead for Murray, but with how many times the Vikings have butchered the QB decision — drafting Christian Ponder, never giving Kirk Cousins a great offensive line, allegedly passing on Aaron Rodgers, letting Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones get away, and likely whiffing on J.J. McCarthy — it’s hard to not to worry when Murray gets off to a bad start.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Sep 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Vikings section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.