Kyler Murray clears concussion protocol, will start in Week 3 vs. Buccaneers

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray has cleared concussion protocol and will start in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, per head coach Kevin O’Connell.

Murray will be making his second start with the Vikings. His Week 1 debut with his new franchise ended after only 11 snaps. The quarterback was scrambling and went to get down, but took a hard hit in the back and was quickly ruled out with a concussion.

The veteran QB was then placed on the protocols and was expected to miss Minnesota’s Week 2 matchup against the Chicago Bears. Surprisingly, Murray advanced enough in the protocols to log limited practice participation by Wednesday.

This advancement opened the door to the possibility that he would be good to go on Sunday. In the end, Murray logged three consecutive limited practices and was ruled out for the game heading into the weekend, paving the way for backup Carson Wentz to get a start.

Without Murray, the Vikings have persisted and started 2-0. Wentz led a huge comeback against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 as Brian Flores’ defense stepped up and stifled the Packers’ offense, leaving them scoreless in the second half.

Wentz was under center in Week 2 against the Bears in a game that was riddled with bad weather. It translated to the field as both teams struggled to get anything going on offense. Minnesota held on for a 9-3 victory in a game decided by field goals.

Before getting hurt in Week 1, Murray was 3 for 5 for 18 yards with an interception. He added another nine yards on two carries on the ground.

While the Vikings QB has dealt with a myriad of injuries over his eight-year career, this was the first documented concussion he has experienced.

O’Connell will now have to decide if he wants to design a game plan around Murray continuing to use his legs, or if he will have him focus more on passing to try to protect his QB from unnecessary contact in the open field.