While the Minnesota Vikings earned a victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon, it didn’t go exactly to plan. Kyler Murray tossed an interception on his first pass as a Viking, and 10 plays later, he left the game after taking a hit from Packers defensive back Javon Bullard and did not return.
As a result, Murray was placed into the concussion protocol, but Kevin O’Connell gave a positive update on his status when speaking to reporters on Monday.
“He came in feeling pretty good today. He is in the [concussion] protocol.
We’ll defer to the medical folks in that protocol for how the week goes. We’ll just take it a day at a time.
Other than that, [I] don’t have a lot of updates on that.”
O’Connell also told reporters that Murray was able to be in meetings and watch film on Monday, per The Athletic’s Alec Lewis. But even if he passes the protocol, there’s still a good chance that Murray could be sidelined through Sunday’s game due to the severity of the injury and the symptoms that Murray showed in Week 1.
Minnesota Vikings QB Kyler Murray has a long road to play in Week 2 vs. Chicago Bears
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert posted the NFL’s concussion protocol on Monday, which was adopted by the league originally in 2009.
The structure has been altered several times over the past couple of years, including the addition of game-day diagnosis and medical checklist guidelines in 2011, the addition of Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultants in 2014 and an “ataxia” clause in 2022 to protect players in the event of a concussion or concussion-like symptoms.
It’s also hard to tell where Murray is in the protocol, as teams are not required to announce when a player has cleared each phase. But it’s a long road for Murray, or any player who suffers a concussion, to get back on the field.
Another aspect in Murray’s favor is that he had no prior official history of documented concussions in the NFL before leaving Sunday’s game. But the “fencing posture” is also a sign of significant trauma to the brain and something that ESPN’s Adam Schefter called troubling on Monday as the Vikings try to evaluate Murray ahead of next week.
“You see Kyler Murray going into the fencing posture right there, and when that happens, that’s a clear sign of brain trauma.
That’s troubling, disturbing. He left the game, he did not return, and he is in concussion protocol.”
With an NFC North rival looming and Murray on a one-year deal, the temptation may be there to race through the protocol and get the Vikings’ starting quarterback back on the field. But after what they went through with Ryan Kelly, there’s an even better case for using caution and waiting until he’s 100 percent.
Minnesota Vikings have every reason to take their time with Kyler Murray
Kelly suffered a concussion during the Vikings' Week 2 loss against the Atlanta Falcons one year ago and went on to deal with them the rest of the season.
While he returned a couple of weeks later for a Week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he suffered another concussion in that game, requiring a trip to injured reserve.
After missing eight games after his second concussion, Kelly returned again ahead of a Week 12 game against the Packers.
But another concussion in a Week 16 win over the New York Giants was his third of the season and the sixth documented concussion of his career, leading him to retire last offseason.
It’s also notable that Kelly cleared the NFL’s protocol for each of his comebacks, and the Vikings used extra preventative measures such as a Guardian Cap to absorb impact and forced him to sit out for two months, even as his immediate symptoms faded, to allow his brain to heal.
But it still wasn’t enough to keep Kelly from getting hurt again, which raises concern for when Murray returns.
The good news is that Murray doesn’t have Kelly’s history, which could shorten his timeline to return. J.J. McCarthy also missed one game after suffering a concussion in the Week 12 loss to the Packers a year ago. But as a quarterback, Murray is one of the most important players on the field, which could convince the Vikings to use extra caution during his recovery process.
While Murray could theoretically pass the protocol this week, the Vikings already know that Carson Wentz won’t sink the ship after leading the team to victory in relief of Murray on Sunday. And it might be a good reason why the Vikings could keep Murray sidelined for at least a week or two after getting injured in Week 1.
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