With veteran quarterback Kyler Murray in the fold, the Minnesota Vikings have high hopes for reigniting their formerly explosive offense. That mission might be tabled for the time being after Murray took a scary hit to the head during Sunday's 2026 season opener against the Green Bay Packers.
Let's jump to the late first quarter. After getting flushed out of the pocket, Murray tried to make something happen with his legs. When he tried to give himself up, he got sandwiched by two Packers defenders, Lukas Van Ness and Javon Bullard, and took a violent hit to the head in the process. Murray subsequently appeared to have a fencing response to the head-to-head collision that, upon first glance, CBS announcer Jim Nantz mistakenly characterized as Murray grabbing
his knee in pain. Further clarification noted that Murray had no knee injury.
Murray would leave the field to be officially evaluated for a concussion. Welp.
Scary scene as Kyler Murray takes a massive hit and stays down after the play. pic.twitter.com/sVqZ7M24e4
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 13, 2026
Here's hoping Murray's head injury is not nearly as bad as it looked and that it doesn't keep him out for any extended period. The last thing anyone wants to see is a scary concussion at any point in time. All around, what a nightmare debut for Murray with his new team in Minnesota.
UPDATE: Murray has officially been ruled out for the rest of the game.
Kyler Murray has been ruled OUT for the rest of this game with a concussion.
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) September 13, 2026
Hopefully, he won't be out too long moving forward.
Who is Kyler Murray's backup on the Vikings?
Carson Wentz is Murray's backup on the Vikings' depth chart. Former top-10 draft pick J.J. McCarthy is now Wentz's backup.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Kyler Murray exits Packers game after scary hit to head. What we know
