Vikings, Kyler Murray Handed Blunt Reality Check Despite 5-0 Start

Minnesota has arguably the best defense in the NFL, as they have only given up over 20 points once in their five games. Nonetheless, there’s doubt surrounding the Vikings as a true contender due to their offense.

Murray and the offense showed signs of progress with their performance in Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints. Nonetheless, Kyle Brandt of ESPN is one of the analysts who isn’t buying the Vikings as contenders due to their reliance on Murray as their starter.

“I don’t know if he has that gear in him and you’re going to get to the playoffs, and good for you, you went 12-5, whatever they’re going to go,” Brandt said on the Oct. 14 edition of “First Take.”

“San Francisco’s there. Dogs are there. Veterans are there. I don’t know if Kyler Murray is that guy in a January playoff game who’s like, ‘I got us. We’re down four with two minutes left. I got this.’ I just don’t think he’s that guy, and I can’t trust the team when he’s not.”

Moreover, Brandt noted why he doesn’t believe that Murray can be that guy for the Vikings when they need their QB to lead them down the field when the defense is having an off night.

“I also find it very funny that there are a lot of people who are all in on the Vikings who I think have short, selective memories about Kyler Murray,” Brandt noted. “There may have been some of them at this table, but the fact is, he has never been a guy in a big-time game. Never. We’ve never seen it. One playoff game ever. I don’t think he was on this planet for that playoff game. It’s one of the strangest performances I’ve ever seen.

“You can run up a good record. You can ride a defense. What I want to see is one day Brian Flores is off his game. He’s not calling a good game. The pressure’s not working. The defense just doesn’t have it, and the Vikings defense is lit up. And Kyler Murray, just give me one week where you say, ‘I got us. I’m captain now. I’ll get us 36 points.’”

Meanwhile, former Vikings wideout Cris Carter shared that what could determine Murray’s long-term future in Minnesota will be the money he’ll want in free agency in the offseason. 

“I don’t think there’s a certain number,” Carter said on the Oct. 12 edition of “Up & Adams.” “I think because of what they’re trying to do, Jordan Addison’s up for a new contract, how much they’re paying JJ, and some other offensive players. I think if they can get Kyler, if everything works out this season at the right number, yes, he can be the guy.

“But ultimately, if you don’t know who your quarterback’s going to be, you’re not where you want to be in the NFL. You either want to be in the top eight teams of the NFL or in the bottom four teams. You don’t want to be in the middle part. So we have to figure out the quarterback situation.”

Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo