Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
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It was a challenging evening for the Minnesota Vikings offense, but they found a way to put enough points in for a 23-16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3 on Sept. 27 at Raymond James Stadium.
Moreover, it was Kyler Murray’s first full regular-season game for Minnesota, and there were positive and potentially worrying signs. Murray went 15-for-29 on his pass attempts for 168 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, and a passer rating of 66.5.
After the win, Murray spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on the offense, noting that he sees the group improving, given that they lost Justin Jefferson in the first half and had to play most of the game without him.
“It’s only Week 3,” Murray told reporters postgame. “That was my first game, really, and again, like I said, 18 went down. I think we’re going to get better each and every week. I think that’s what our plan is.
“Today we didn’t feel like we played our best game, but we’re leaving here with a win. It’s the NFL. We’re going to take those when we can. It’s not easy to win in this league, so we’re going to go back to work. We’ll get better.”
Kyler Murray Gives Self-Criticism Despite Win Over Bucs
While Murray believes that the Vikings offense will improve with more time to gel, he was also critical of himself and knows there’s room for improvement as the team looks to go 4-0 next week.
“There were some throws I missed,” Murray added. “I felt, for my first game, first full game since October last year, I felt like I started to slow down for me. But at the end of the day, it just wasn’t offensively; we weren’t just on the same page.
“It was a miss here, a miss there, a penalty here, a penalty there, and it just kind of piled up. But at the end of the day, we got the job done. Team effort, and we’re leaving here with a win.”
Vikings Offense in Week 3 Without Justin Jefferson
Nonetheless, one positive the Vikings showed was their ability to pivot after Jefferson left the game with an injured ankle. Jordan Addison elevated his game, recording five receptions on nine targets for 90 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Murray spoke about the Vikings offense without Jefferson and noted that the team needed to make adjustments on the fly. While there are concerns, the team is 3-0 and any worries can be fixed midweek ahead of the Week 4 game against the 0-3 Miami Dolphins.
“Offense goes through 18, and then when he goes down, we’ve got to make adjustments on the fly,” Murray added. “But again, we did enough to win the game. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect by any means. I think everybody offensively knows that we got to be better, but at the end of the day, we’re 3-0.
“We just beat a really good team despite what their record is on the road. And we’re going to be happy about winning this game, but obviously, we got to go back to work and get better.”
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Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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