Kyler Murray’s Vikings Era Starts with a Whimper — and a Win
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Kyler Murray era in Minnesota officially kicked off Saturday, and honestly? It was less fireworks, more field goal. But a win is a win, and the Vikings took down the Giants 13-10 in a preseason opener that had a little bit of everything — including a brutal injury scare and a concussion comeback story.
Murray’s cameo
Kevin O'Connell kept it short and sweet with his new QB1: one series, three pass attempts, two completions, ten yards, and a field goal. No Justin Jefferson. No heroics. Just a smooth handoff before the backups took over. Meanwhile, J.J. McCarthy — the guy who was supposed to be the future — went 4-of-7 for 34 yards and reminded everyone the QB room in Minny is anything but boring.
Dart gets crushed, then delivers
Over on the Giants sideline, new head coach John Harbaugh got his first look at his squad, and rookie QB Jaxson Dart got the full preseason experience. He got sacked twice, took a nasty hit from safety Jay Ward that sent him straight to the blue tent for a concussion check, and then — two snaps later — he came back and dropped a 15-yard touchdown dart to rookie Malachi Fields. That's toughness, folks. Dart finished 3-of-4 for 26 yards and walked off with a TD to his name.
Beckham’s back, Price is right
Odell Beckham Jr. returned to the team that drafted him nearly a decade ago and got the loudest ovation of the afternoon. Two catches, six yards, all the vibes. But the real highlight came from Vikings receiver Myles Price, who kept his camp breakout rolling with four catches for 51 yards — including a one-handed TD grab from Carson Wentz that was pure filth.
The bad news
Not everything was pretty. Vikings safety/linebacker Jamal Adams went down on a noncontact play in the second quarter, grabbing his right knee and needing a cart off the field. O'Connell said he was “crushed for him” and implied the injury could be serious. That's a gut-punch for a guy who signed right before camp and was already carving out a role.
Final score: 13-10. Nothing pretty, everything meaningful. Preseason ball, baby.