Minnesota Vikings

Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson engaged in a rare display of frustration late in Sunday’s 19-15 loss to the Lions. He also didn’t talk to reporters after the game, possibly to avoid saying things that would underscore what he was feeling in the moment.

Four days later, Jefferson spoke to the media — and the No. 1 topic was his apparent mood during Minnesota’s first loss of the season.

“It was wanting to win,” Jefferson said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN, “and I felt like we had plenty of opportunities to win that game and we only hurt ourselves in multiple ways. It’s just wanting better from the whole entire offense especially. And I feel like the potential and the guys that we have in that room is something very, very special. I feel like we’re wasting that if not going out there executing the plays that we have called and just not living to that standard that we feel like we live up to every single day.”

Jefferson, who always says all the right things about his quarterbacks, said all the right things about Kyler Murray, whose performance against Detroit largely contributed to the failure to score more than 15 points.

“I feel like Kyler has continued to grow,” Jefferson said. “I feel like Kyler is continuing to get comfortable with this offense. And I feel like the plays that are there are plays that he’s well capable of making. And those are plays that we’ve seen him make multiple times throughout the season, throughout practice and in training camp as well. So we definitely have faith in him. We have confidence in him to go out there and be that guy that we need him and want him to be.

“But all in all, it’s just executing our plays and just coming ready to play. And I feel like once he’s back out there and he gets more comfortable with the system, more comfortable with just throwing to these different type of receivers, then I feel like he’s going to look a lot better in [reporters’] eyes. But we see that every single day. We see that type of Kyler that we need out there on Sundays every single day. So just bringing that on Sundays. We’re behind him. We’re confident in him, so we just going to keep riding with him.”

For now, the Vikings will ride with Carson Wentz, while Murray is out with a hamstring injury. And Wentz has proven that, of all the quarterbacks who have played for the Vikings since Sam Darnold left for Seattle after the 2024 season, Wentz knows how to get the ball to Jefferson.

Soft bench or not, Wentz has an opportunity to stay on the field if he makes the plays that Murray didn’t on Sunday. Plays that, by the time the game was on the line, coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t allow Murray to try to make.

The one moment that resonates from Sunday’s game wasn’t anything Murray did or failed to do. It came from O’Connell’s decision to punt from the Minnesota 33-yard line on fourth and five with 3:01 to play. Given the manner in which the Lions were running the ball, the likelihood of getting another opportunity to score a touchdown was slim.

Put simply, if O’Connell didn’t trust Murray to gain five yards with the game on the line, O’Connell shouldn’t entrust the starting job to Murray.

For now, Murray technically can’t play due to injury. It’s hard not to wonder whether, if Murray had made the plays needed to outscore the Lions on Sunday, he’d be playing on Monday night despite the injured hamstring.

The Bills have a lengthy injury report to begin Week 9, with the club playing the Vikings on Monday night.

Receiver DJ Moore (shoulder), receiver Keon Coleman (shoulder), tight end Dalton Kincaid (chest), and offensive tackle Spencer Brown (back) were all limited. Returning from injured reserve, defensive back Jordan Hancock (hamstring) was limited as well.

Offensive tackle Dion Dawkins (rib), defensive lineman Greg Gaines (calf), running back Ty Johnson (illness), receiver Joshua Palmer (hamstring), and offensive lineman Alec Anderson (ankle) all did not participate.

Cornerback Dee Alford (ankle), linebacker Joe Andreessen (knee), outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (chest/thumb), defensive lineman Ed Oliver (knee), outside linebacker TJ Parker (knee), guard Ar’maj Reed-Adams (back/elbow), defensive lineman T.J. Sanders (shoulder), and receiver Tyrell Shavers (knee) are full. Shavers is still returning from the physically unable to perform list.

Kyler Murray’s hamstring injury is serious enough that it will sideline him for at least a week.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters in his Thursday press conference that Murray is out for Monday night’s game against the Bills with a hamstring strain and is considered week-to-week.

Carson Wentz will start Week 9, which will be his second start of the season.

“For [Murray], his movement skills, and the way he plays the game, we do feel like we’d be putting him at risk of possibly turning this into a more significant injury than it is by trying to have him work through it here early on,” O’Connell said. “So, Carson will start the football game and Max [Brosmer] will back him up.”

While it didn’t seem like O’Connell was too concerned about Murray’s availability earlier in the week, further testing revealed the extent of the issue.

“I think hamstrings are always unique,” O’Connell said. "[Y]ou always have to understand that whatever that picture or that imaging says, sometimes it’s an injury you can really hone in on. That’s why I wanted to be certain before I went speculating on Monday just because I wanted to be sure it wasn’t something that would prohibit him from playing — until it was.

“I’m not going to get into the details of the grade or the injury or the level medically speaking, but just knowing that Kyler needs his mobility — it’s a big, huge part of what makes him an effective player. If that puts him at risk of potentially adding to the grade of the injury, we can’t do that. It’s a long season. We hope to get him back and get him going.”

O’Connell noted injured reserve is not a consideration for Murray with this injury.

Wentz stepped in and played after Murray suffered a concussion earlier this season. Wentz completed 23-of-39 passes against the Packers and Bears for 276 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

“Obviously, there’s a ton of confidence in Carson,” O’Connell said. “He’s had a major, major role in two wins this year against two really good teams. He’s a steadying presence and a guy we know can go in and play good football, that’s why we feel so great about having him here.

“He’s going to throw a lot of completions. He’s going to put the ball in play. He’s got such a high, high understanding of not only the offense but what he’s looking at on the other side. He has 100 games of experience. He’s the perfect guy in a moment where you can’t have Kyler out there at full strength to go in there. And we feel very strongly about when Carson’s in there, we’re going to get really effective quarterback play.”

Minnesota’s offense has struggled to generate yards and points this season, with the club ranking No. 27 in scoring and No. 29 in total yards. We’ll see if Wentz can provide a spark to change that on Monday night.

The soft benching of Kyler Murray in favor of backup Carson Wentz could be coming on Monday night against the Bills.

Officially, the Vikings say they’re evaluating Murray’s hamstring injury, not that they’re evaluating whether Wentz is the quarterback who gives them a better chance to win. But Adam Schefter reported on ESPN today that the Vikings appear to be moving toward Wentz starting against the Bills. Which may have to do with both Murray’s injury and Murray’s ineffectiveness.

“His status for Monday night is, at best, up in the air, and it sounds like it is trending toward Carson Wentz starting on Monday night,” Schefter said. “Everybody’s watched the games. It looks like, right now, there is a question about the quarterback position, and how they’re going to handle it. And Carson Wentz looks like he’s in line to start Monday night, and you just have to wonder what’s going to happen with the quarterback position.”

Even against an injury-riddled Lions defense on Sunday, Murray struggled, and Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell appeared to lose faith in Murray, punting the ball away to the Lions with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter rather than trusting Murray to convert a fourth-and-5.

After that punt, the Lions ran out the clock and Murray never touched the ball again. If Wentz starts on Monday night and plays well against the Bills, it might be a long time before Murray touches the ball again.

Yes, the 49ers tried to arrange a reunion with receiver Jauan Jennings.

Over the weekend, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported that the 49ers and Vikings had a deal in place, but that Jennings eventually decided to stay in Minnesota. On Wednesday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed it.

“The report was accurate, just not totally exactly detailed up,” Shanahan told reporters. “I mean, you can’t talk to other players on other teams. You’re not allowed to. We love Jauan. We have such a good relationship with Jauan and know him really well and we didn’t want to do it without talking to him first. So, we had to agree on some things to at least make it close enough to be able to talk to him.

“Then when we got on a FaceTime with J.J., it went well. It was awesome. We talked about a lot of stuff, and he ended up saying that he was happy with where he was. It wasn’t just like a definite ‘no’ first, but he was like, ‘Man, Kyle, I’m pretty happy here and liking stuff.’ And when I heard the way he talked and where we’re at, I agreed with him. So, it was a good conversation and something that was possible, but that’s why it didn’t go down.”

Jennings still hasn’t done much for the Vikings. In six games, he has six catches for 54 yards.

The fact that the Vikings allowed Jennings to talk to the 49ers shows that the Vikings were willing to move on. The fact that Jennings stayed has kept receiver Odell Beckham Jr. parked on the Minnesota practice squad.

The Buccaneers are adding some depth to their offensive line.

Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Tampa Bay has claimed Trevor Keegan off of waivers.

The Vikings let Keegan go on Tuesday.

Keegan, 26, appeared in seven games for Minnesota this season. He was on the field for 30 special teams snaps and three offensive snaps.

The Vikings had claimed Keegan off waivers in September. An Eagles fifth-round pick in 2024, Keegan has also spent time with the Cowboys.

The Vikings have let go of an offensive lineman.

Minnesota announced on Tuesday that the club has waived guard Trevor Keegan.

Keegan, 26, appeared in seven games for Minnesota this season. He was on the field for 30 special teams snaps and three offensive snaps.

The Vikings had claimed Keegan off waivers in September. An Eagles fifth-round pick in 2024, Keegan has also spent time with the Cowboys.

Additionally, Minnesota has released tight end Bryson Nesbit from its practice squad.

How can the Vikings bench Kyler Murray without benching Kyler Murray?

They can rely on an injury through which he otherwise would be able to play.

It’s hard not to look at the current status of Murray’s hamstring “tightness” as cover for a soft benching of Murray. That gives the Vikings a chance to let Carson Wentz, who played well enough in most of the Week 1 win over the Packers and all of the Week 2 win over the Bears.

While the Vikings will never admit to that strategy, consider this undeniable fact: On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips was asked for an assessment of Murray’s play “in the past couple weeks.”

“I don’t really want to get into, like, overarching, ‘Hey, this is this is the . . .,” Phillips said. “You know, the fact of the matter is, you know, we lost the game against a tough [Lions] football team on the road. It’s a division game. It stings, but we’ve got to get better moving forward. 
And, you know, we’ll see as the week goes on, where we’re at in that spot . . . but, yeah, we’ve got to get better. We’re going to actively pursue every avenue we can to make that happen.”

This implies, if taken literally, pursuing every avenue toward acquiring an upgrade via a trade — whether that’s Jacoby Brissett, Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins, or even Justin Herbert.

It all comes down to whether the Vikings are content to keep doing what they’ve been doing, or whether they’ll make a move aimed at significantly upgrading a position that, in recent weeks, has not been good enough.

Yes, they’re 6-1. That’s better than anyone could have expected them to be. But it’s not because Murray has turned the clock back to the early years of his career. His passer rating (86.6) is toward the bottom of all qualifying quarterbacks (and, in fairness, that’s higher than the numbers generated by Brissett, Jones, and Herbert).

It’s the lowest number for any season of Murray’s career, and the overall performance is less than what the Vikings need to maximize their current formula.

Especially since he’s not getting the ball to receiver Justin Jefferson. That’s something Wentz did consistently in 2025, making Wentz the preferred option to J.J. McCarthy — who returned to the lineup following a Week 2 ankle injury only after Wentz suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 8.

If McCarthy was still in Minnesota, there would be an unavoidable groundswell to give him a shot. But he lost the No. 2 job to Wentz. Which means Wentz won it.

Which means that the Vikings could be thinking about giving Wentz a Monday night audition against the Bills, with a plan to make a possible trade the next day if things don’t go well.

For now, the rest of the week will reveal whether and to what extent Murray or Wentz will take the first-team reps at practice. And whether Murray or Wentz will play on Monday night.

It won’t be a surprise if it’s Wentz against the Bills. Even if Murray is technically healthy enough to play.

By sending eight-game starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett all the way to No. 3 on the depth chart, the Cardinals have sent a clear message to the rest of the league, eight days from the trade deadline.

Make us an offer.

The question becomes whether anyone will, and whether based on the games to be played in Week 9 anyone will need to.

Currently, the Ravens are scrambling to find healthy bodies at the position — and quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork was the quarterback coach in Arizona last year, when Brissett started 12 games.

Any other contender could be one snap away from needing Brissett. And the Vikings, who should be (even if they aren’t) thinking about potential upgrades to Kyler Murray, could make the Cardinals a call.

Beyond teams that could be in a position to consider Brissett as the starter are contenders who may not be thrilled with their current primary backups. In L.A., for example, it could make sense to have a more experienced understudy to Matthew Stafford for the stretch run.

Brissett’s new contract had most of the paid out as a signing bonus; his base salary is a very affordable $1.3 million.

Now in his eleventh season, Brissett has played for six teams: the Patriots (twice), the Colts, the Dolphins, the Browns, the Commanders, and the Cardinals. He has 109 regular-season appearances, with 73 starts.

Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray said he was dealing with hamstring tightness late in Sunday’s loss to the Lions and his hamstring remains an issue on Monday.

Murray did not leave Sunday’s game, but head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters at a press conference that the quarterback is dealing with soreness. Murray will be fully evaluated before the team makes any determination about his status for their Week 9 Monday night game against the Bills.

“I don’t think we’re there yet,” O’Connell said.

O’Connell did say that the Vikings plan to start Murray against Buffalo as long as he is healthy enough to play. Speculation about a possible change has simmered as the Vikings offense struggled over the course of their 6-0 start and it has picked up in the wake of Minnesota’s first loss of the season, but it doesn’t look like they’ll pull the trigger on any move as long as Murray is cleared to play this week.