Kyler Murray isn’t out of the woods yet. But, to be sure, the simple fact that he’s being discussed as a possibility for the next game is itself a promising sign.

Kevin O’Connell chatted with the media earlier in the afternoon. Doing so functioned as a platform for the affable coach to offer further insight on Minnesota’s quarterback situation. Per O’Connell, the approach is to take things a day at a time while seeing if the veteran can roll for Week 2: “He came in feeling pretty good today.” Not long afterwards, the skipper said “we’ll just take it a day at a time.”

Minnesota is going to lean on the medical professionals to determine whether Murray can go.

Making the overall team health outlook appear a touch worse is that running back Jordan Mason is going to get some further tests to see about a thumb injury. The sense is that this is mostly precautionary but the Vikings will chase down some added clarity to ensure they’re understanding the extent of the issue.

Kyler Murray, Jordan Mason, & MIN’s Injuries

Part of the reason for O’Connell having some optimism is that a quarterback is the red jersey player. Put differently, the QB isn’t tasked with a massive physical workload throughout the week under normal circumstances, meaning Murray can do a ton just by being present to digest the weekly game plan.

At this stage, though, it’s tough to envision Murray going out for Week 2.

Minnesota’s goal isn’t to be the best version of itself in September. Rather, the goal is to be a juggernaut by the time January arrives. Being able to get into the playoffs is no longer good enough even as that’s the first goal, a prerequisite while moving toward the broader goal. What’s needed is to get into the final tournament and then stack up wins. Can the Vikings do this without Kyler Murray?

The point, folks, is to suggest that caution is to be advised. Murray is a 29-year-old passer who suffered a concussion following a brutal hit. Give the man the time he needs to ensure he’s sitting in a really good spot. The Vikings need only to look toward the 2025 season to see the issues that can arise with a perpetually injured QB1 (J.J. McCarthy) and a key player working through multiple concussions (Ryan Kelly).

So, expect a week off.

There’s then the update about RB1/2 Jordan Mason, who played some strong ball on Sunday. O’Connell clarified that the rugged runner showed up today with a thumb problem that’s going to go for further tests to see the extent of the injury.

“[Mason] came in just with a little bit of a sore thumb, and he’s actually being checked out, evaluated,” O’Connell said. When pushed for added clarity, O’Connell noted that “we’ll get a picture of [Mason’s thumb] just to see what’s going on.”

Obviously, the run game is going to take on a renewed importance if the Vikings are without Kyler Murray for any amount of time. Mason has been picked as a breakout candidate by many observers due to being a 27-year-old RB journeying into a contract season and after being praised for being in excellent shape.

For whatever it’s worth, the Vikings saw practice squad runner DeeJay Dallas do some excellent work on special teams against the Packers. He could get called upon yet again to ensure the RB depth is solid going into another NFC North game. Otherwise, the burden would fall to rookie Demond Claiborne, who had a tough training camp and preseason.

The Minnesota Vikings travel to Chicago for a Week 2 game against the Bears. Both teams are sitting at 1-0.

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