EAGAN, Minn. The Minnesota Vikings are spinning their quarterback carousel once more. Coach Kevin O'Connell announced Thursday that backup Carson Wentz will start Monday night's game against the Buffalo Bills because starter Kyler Murray is dealing with a strained hamstring.
The switch represents the 14th time the Vikings have changed quarterbacks during a season, whether due to injury or performance, since Kirk Cousins tore his right Achilles tendon in the middle of the 2023 campaign.
Murray was hurt on a read-option run early in the fourth quarter of Minnesota's 19-15 loss to the Detroit Lions last Sunday. He also had trouble hitting open receivers throughout that game, and star wideout Justin Jefferson was frustrated enough afterward that he declined to talk with reporters.
O'Connell made clear that placing Murray on injured reserve is not under consideration. "I don't believe it to be much more than a week-to-week kind of thing right now," O'Connell said, adding that because of Murray's movement skills and playing style, the team felt it would risk turning the strain into something more significant by having him push through it early.
The coach explained that the concern goes beyond Murray's rushing ability. "It's more the explosive movements, the quick twitch movements," O'Connell said. He noted that while the staff could tell Murray to stay in the pocket, football is an imperfect game in which players react instinctively, and the team does not want the strain to worsen.
Murray, who is playing on a one-year contract, already missed most of two games earlier this season with a concussion. His QBR of 44.7 ranks 26th among 30 qualified quarterbacks. He scrambled seven times in a Week 4 game against the New Orleans Saints but has run only 13 times combined in his five other starts.
O'Connell said Monday that Murray would remain the starter this week if healthy. Asked Thursday whether Wentz could earn more starts through his own play regardless of Murray's recovery, the coach answered in part: "It's all about this week for our team."
Wentz, who signed with Minnesota in August 2025, has started six games and played most of a seventh for the club. The Vikings are 4-3 in those appearances, with Wentz completing 63.9 percent of his passes for 1,492 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions.
Wentz has also developed a strong connection with Jefferson, who has caught 44 passes for 615 yards and two touchdowns across those seven games. "[Wentz] is the perfect guy in a moment where you can't have Kyler out there at full strength to go in there," O'Connell said. "And we feel very strongly about when Carson's in there, we're going to get really effective quarterback play."
