Vikings' quarterback Kyler Murray cleared the NFL's concussion protocol this week, placing him at the helm to start for the 2-0 Vikings against the Buccaneers on Sunday in Week Three. He practiced last week in a limited fashion leading up to the Week Two matchup against the Bears but was ruled out. Carson Wentz replaced Murray as the starter and guided Minnesota to a 9-3 win over the Bears. Murray suffered a concussion in the first quarter of the club's Week One matchup with the Packers. The former first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft will go head-to-head with the top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Baker Mayfield.
Over the course of his career with Arizona, Murray completed 1,974 of 2,941 passes for 20,460 yards with 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions. The completions rank second in franchise history, and the yards and passing touchdowns rank third. His career passer rating is 92.2, and his career completion percentage of 67.1 is a Cardinals' franchise record among players who attempted at least 232 passes for Arizona, ranking fifth all-time in NFL history. He has a rocket for an arm and can out-run defenders when he breaks contain with shiftiness. The playmaker gets the ball off quick from RPOs and attacks tight windows with outstanding touch. He possesses elite deep ball talent and is as elusive as it gets when extending plays outside of the pocket.
Murray keeps offensive coordinators up at night with his ability to convert on third down using his legs and at executing zone read runs. He can throw guys open with his ball placement and has the ability to make something out of nothing in Patrick Mahomes/Mayfield-esque fashion. Murray's primary target in the passing game will undoubtedly be future Hall of Fame receiver Justin Jefferson. Jefferson has an expansive catch radius and even when he is double-teamed, he is still able to come down with contested catches. He tracks the ball well downfield and uses footwork subtleties to bait coverage, including stop-and-goes, along with hesitation steps. Jefferson makes a compelling case in selling a go, then hitting a comeback or hitch. He can high-point the ball and execute back-shoulder fades. The Bucs' defense will have to be disciplined in run fits to contain Murray and in communication and leverage on the back end to mitigate Jefferson's destruction.
"We have to do a good job of rush integrity this week as far as our rush lanes and how he escapes the pocket, understanding that he has a big arm and can make the throws down the field and he has a heck of a receiver to throw it to," said Pass Game Coordinator George Edwards. "So, we have to do a good job with the leverage on the coverage and we have to do a good job of getting pressure and knowing how he likes to escape, all those different things we are trying to cover this week because he has not had a lot of reps in their system so you have to go back and do the work from when he was in Arizona and study his habits there as far as his keys, his reads, what he likes to do, his tendencies. It has been a good week of preparation so far."
