Kyler Murray will miss the Minnesota Vikings’ game Sunday at Chicago with a concussion, and Carson Wentz will start against the Bears.
Coach Kevin O’Connell announced the decision Friday. J.J. McCarthy will serve as Wentz’s backup.
Murray was a limited participant in practice all week but did not complete every step of the league’s concussion protocol, NFL.com reported. O’Connell said Murray has shown a lot of progress and that the team fully expects him to clear the protocol early next week.
On Monday, O’Connell said Murray had been able to sit in on team meetings and that the Vikings would take his recovery a day at a time. He entered the protocol that day.
His Vikings debut ended in the first quarter.
With 6:16 left in the opening period against Green Bay, Murray scrambled toward the first-down marker. Packers defenders Lukas Van Ness and Javon Bullard hit him as he went to the ground. Bullard was flagged for unnecessary roughness. Murray stayed down while trainers checked him, then walked to the locker room and did not return.
Wentz entered and led a 39-22 win at U.S. Bank Stadium. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns.
O’Connell said the staff drew on what it already knew about Wentz.
“He didn’t get a ton of work last week, but all along, knowing where Carson was at mentally, things he’s comfortable with, we were able to find some of those things as well as what fit with the adjustments we made in the game,” O’Connell said.
Minnesota started three different quarterbacks in 2025. Murray, the No. 1 overall pick in 2019, was brought in to end that cycle and won the job over McCarthy in training camp. McCarthy then slid to third on the depth chart behind Wentz.
Other absences are piling up.
Receiver Jauan Jennings is out for personal reasons after missing practice all week. He joined Minnesota in May on a one-year, $8 million deal.
Running back Jordan Mason went on injured reserve Wednesday after surgery to repair a fractured right thumb. Mason had 15 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown in the opener. Aaron Jones Sr., who ran 12 times for 40 yards and a score against Green Bay, now leads the backfield.
Chicago is also 1-0. The Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 59-37 in Week 1, piling up 552 total yards and 291 rushing yards.
Should Murray clear the protocol as O’Connell expects, his next chance to play comes Sept. 27 at Tampa Bay, with kickoff at 4:05 p.m. ET.
