QB Murray in good spirits after Vikings debut ends with concussion — SkimNews
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- Kyler Murray suffered a concussion on the 11th play of his Vikings regular-season debut after sliding at the Vikings' 35-yard line; multiple players confirmed his body went into a fencing posture, a common immediate reaction to brain trauma.
- Lukas Van Ness and Javon Bullard converged on Murray's slide, with referee Shawn Hochuli's crew penalizing Bullard for unnecessary roughness; right tackle Brian O'Neill said he regretted shoving Bullard and wished he had retaliated further.
- Carson Wentz, named the Vikings' No. 2 quarterback just last week and given no practice reps with the starting offense since, replaced Murray and became only the third NFL backup since at least 1950 to throw three touchdowns and no interceptions in a season opener (12-of-19, 133 yards).
- Coach Kevin O'Connell said he saw Murray in the postgame locker room and that the QB "seemed to be doing pretty well," though Murray was unavailable for comment after entering the protocol.
- J.J. McCarthy is the likely backup to Wentz going forward, with practice-squadder Max Brosmer potentially at No. 3; the Vikings next face the Bears in Chicago on Sunday.
- Murray had thrown an interception on his first pass before completing three of his next four for 18 yards before the injury; he won the starting job this summer after signing a one-year contract in March.
Why it matters: With Murray now in concussion protocol and his status for next Sunday at Chicago uncertain, Minnesota's season-opening win masks a thin QB depth chart that will lean on Wentz — a backup who had taken zero reps with the starters this week before producing one of only three such 3-TD, 0-INT season-opening relief performances in the modern era.
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