The Bucs are sitting at 0-2 after Sunday's 23-19 loss to the Cleveland Browns, and they'll now host an undefeated Minnesota Vikings team at Raymond James Stadium in Week 3. Minnesota will also have its starting quarterback back.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Kyler Murray has officially cleared the NFL's concussion protocol. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell announced that Murray will return to the lineup after missing Minnesota's Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears. Murray suffered the concussion early in the Vikings' season-opening win over the Green Bay Packers.
Rapoport reported on X, "Kyler Murray has now officially cleared the protocol, coach Kevin O’Connell announced. He’s back in the lineup."
Minnesota getting its QB1 back
would be enough to make this a difficult matchup, but the bigger concern for Tampa Bay might be what is happening on the other side of the ball. Brian Flores' defense is playing like Hansel from Zoolander. It's so hot right now.
Chicago entered Week 2 after dropping 59 points on the Carolina Panthers in its opener, the highest-scoring performance by any team in Week 1. One week later, Flores and the Vikings held that same offense to three points in a 9-3 Minnesota victory.
The Vikings kept Chicago out of the end zone entirely and held the Bears scoreless on nine consecutive possessions after their opening field goal. Minnesota forced a fumble at its own 1-yard line in the third quarter, blocked a potential game-tying field goal in the fourth, and finished the afternoon by sacking backup quarterback Tyson Bagent on Chicago's final play.
That's an insanely rough matchup for a Tampa Bay offense that is anything but ok right now. The Bucs managed just one touchdown against Cleveland, with Baker Mayfield throwing for 182 yards, one touchdown and one interception while taking three sacks. Tampa Bay went 1-for-4 in the red zone despite finishing with 313 total yards.
The Bucs are only two games into the season, but an 0-2 hole leaves little room for another inconsistent performance. Now they have to find answers against a Flores defense coming off a dominant performance, while the Vikings get Murray back under center.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs' Week 3 matchup just got even tougher with Kyler Murray's return
