Kyler Murray’s passer rating has climbed from 66.4 to 90.7 to 109.6 in three full starts, giving the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings a credible reason to expect more from their offense after the bye.
Murray completed 24 of 30 passes for 229 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions against New Orleans, adding 51 rushing yards in a 23-13 victory.
Brian Flores’ defense and Matt Daniels’ special teams have given this offense valuable time to develop. Will Reichard reached the bye without missing a field goal in 15 attempts. Appreciating the kicker is fine. Five field goals were enough to beat Miami, but O’Connell’s offense needs more ways to win than that.
Minnesota Vikings need Kyler Murray’s progress to produce more touchdowns
Murray’s improvement includes more production per throw. His yards per attempt rose from 5.8 against Tampa Bay to 6.7 against Miami and 7.6 against New Orleans. He’s completing a higher percentage of his passes while gaining more per attempt, a better foundation than merely avoiding interceptions.
His three third-down conversions as a runner against the Saints matter just as much. An 18-yard scramble on third-and-10 preserved the possession that ended with Justin Jefferson’s touchdown. Those first downs don’t show up in his passer rating. They gave Minnesota more plays to work with, and Jefferson turned one of those chances into a touchdown.
Justin Jefferson, in triple coverage —HOW DID HE CATCH THIS?! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/jaBttL0Apb
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 11, 2026
Kevin O’Connell has explained that extra attention on Jefferson can leave running space for Murray. Assigning a defender to monitor the quarterback can reduce the help available in coverage. O’Connell has a way to make defenses pay for concentrating on Jefferson without forcing Murray to throw to him.
More touchdown drives would help Flores, too. Larger second-half leads can force opponents away from their run game, giving Minnesota’s pressure packages more predictable passing situations to attack. I like Minnesota’s chances a lot more if its offense starts creating those situations for Flores.
Three full starts don’t establish Murray as an upper-tier quarterback. He has two touchdown passes across that stretch. New Orleans fell to 1-4, and Jefferson’s return after missing Miami helped. Murray deserves credit for improving, but Jefferson’s return and the Saints matchup are part of the picture.
Aaron Jones and Myles Price also lost red-zone fumbles against the Saints, while a recovered kickoff fumble supplied the short field for Minnesota’s first touchdown. Better quarterback play still needs better ball security. Those wasted possessions explain why the offense’s efficiency hasn’t produced a corresponding scoring surge.
Indianapolis visits on October 25 before Minnesota travels to Detroit. Murray’s next assignment is sustaining touchdown drives from deeper in his own territory. Producing points without a takeaway to supply the short field would give Minnesota a way to answer an early deficit when Flores can’t dictate the game immediately.
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