The Minnesota Vikings' offense has gotten off to a slow start in 2026, entering Week 6 ranked 27th in total yards. A major factor has been Kyler Murray getting comfortable in Kevin O'Connell's offense, which was harder when he was knocked out of the Vikings' season opener with a concussion.
Murray missed the final three quarters of the game and then missed Minnesota's Week 2 matchup against the Chicago Bears. That missed time delayed his acclimation to O'Connell's system, as the Vikings mustered only 230 total yards in Murray's Week 3 return and 15 points (all via field goals) in Week 4.
Although Murray has shown signs of progress over the past five quarters (he finished Week 4 by completing 13 of 14 passes), ESPN's Seth Walder is rethinking his optimistic preseason prediction for Minnesota's new quarterback.
Original prediction: Quarterback Kyler Murray will finish in the top 12 in QBR.
Why we're throwing it out: Entering Week 5, Murray was last in QBR. After the Vikings' Week 5 win over the Saints, he has moved all the way up to ... 27th. Even though I'm hopeful Murray will improve as the season goes on, I don't think he'll be able to get to the top 12.
That's probably fair, since we are already more than a quarter of the way into the regular season. But Walder is right that there is reason to believe Murray will improve, especially with the return of starters Jordan Mason, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Christian Darrisaw coming soon after the bye.
If Murray can continue his ascension, the Vikings will be a dangerous team by the end of the season.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: ESPN checks in on their preseason bold prediction with Kyler Murray