Kyler Murray isn’t just back, folks, he just etched his name into Vikings history with a performance that screams “the old Murray is here to stay.” On Sunday, the quarterback threw for 229 yards, completed 24 of 30 passes, tossed a touchdown with zero picks, and added 51 rushing yards on 10 attempts. That’s a 109.6 passer rating, for anyone keeping score. Per the Vikings, this made him the first quarterback in franchise history to throw for 200 or more yards with an 80-percent completion percentage while rushing for 50 or more yards. You read that right, a franchise first.
The Road Runner’s Back, Baby!
For a guy who barely showed up in Week 1, and then in starts during Week 3 and 4 didn’t look anything like the “offensive rookie of the year version” or the “two-time Pro Bowler version,” this is a massive turnaround. We’re talking “meep meep” making its way to New Orleans, showing up big. This wasn’t some late-game surge, either. Murray played well from the start of the game all the way to the finish, a stark contrast to how he had been playing. Even with a couple of those momentum-shifting miscues that can usually derail an offense, Murray and the Minnesota squad were never rattled. Remember when the Saints returned a Myles Price fumble 87 yards for the game-tying touchdown? No sweat for Murray. He just marched the Vikings 70 yards in six plays for the go-ahead score. One more scoring drive sealed the deal for a 23-13 final margin. That’s composure, that’s leadership, that’s the Murray we know.
From Slow Start to Full Throttle
The first hint that this offense was waking up actually popped up last week. Against the Dolphins in Week 4, Miami cut the score to 12-10 late in the third quarter. What did Murray do? He engineered a crucial drive that stretched the lead to five. Then, after a three-and-out, he guided the offense to chew up the rest of the clock. Think about it: since that Dolphins touchdown on the next-to-last play of the third quarter, Murray has completed a staggering 36 of 43 passes, an 83.7 percent clip! That’s not just a hot streak, that’s a quarterback finding his rhythm, finding his touch, and absolutely connecting. This dude is locked in, and the team is feeding off it.
Now, the Vikings head into their bye week, which is perfectly timed. This gives them a chance to get healthy and dial in for a brutal stretch of games. They’ve got the Colts, Lions, Bills, Packers, and then a Sunday night showdown against the 49ers in Mexico City. Coming off a franchise-first performance, with Kyler Murray looking like his old self again, the purple and gold are going to need every ounce of that momentum. Get ready, because the Murray train is officially rolling.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply