The Minnesota Vikings kicked off their preseason schedule with a 13-10 win over the New York Giants. It was also Kyler Murray‘s debut drive, which gave fans a glimpse of what the offense could look like in 2026.

Murray only got the one drive, but it was a substantial one: 10 plays for 54 yards, ending with a Will Reichard field goal and a 3-0 lead. The drive split into six run plays and three passing plays, which shouldn’t surprise anyone following the Vikings this offseason.

The run game set the tone

What looked really good was the run game. The Vikings were aggressive up front, blocking well, and the running backs showed great vision and contact balance to squeeze extra yards out of their carries. All of those elements are encouraging, but the bigger question going in was how Murray looked operating the offense.

He looked comfortable. Murray was fine under center, didn’t show any issues, and navigated around things with ease. That comfort level gives a lot of credence to what he could be in Kevin O’Connell’s offense. O’Connell, like Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, likes to operate from under center and utilize the play-action game. The fact that Murray already looked somewhat comfortable under center means the likely 25 to 30% of snaps he’ll operate from there this season should feel a little less concerning. It’s still a small sample size, but it was nice to see.

Breaking down Murray’s 3 passes

There is some nuance that needs to be taken into account with the passing game, especially with running vanilla concepts. Murray threw three passes on the drive, and each one tells a slightly different story.

The first was the second play of the game, a play-action rollout to the left and a dump-off to Max Bredeson. The Vikings have run that concept many times, usually toward the right. It was a nice play to get in rhythm, gaining just two yards.

The second was a third-down throw to Jordan Addison running an out route. Murray threw it low and a smidge behind, but the defender couldn’t get to it for a first down. You’d like that ball to be more out front, but the low placement prevented the defender from making a play. Was it a perfect ball? No. You’d prefer that ball to be laid out front, but it was a completion for a first down, and the offense moved on.

The third pass will generate the most discussion. On a third-down empty set, the Vikings ran what appeared to be a stick concept with Aaron Jones coming out of the backfield on a hook route. Many will say the throw was off target, and technically it was, but the why behind it matters. Jones had a defender directly behind him and another pursuing his left shoulder. Murray threw it to Jones’s right, away from the backside defender so he couldn’t make a play on the ball. Those small details get ironed out during training camp and the preseason. By the time the regular season arrives, that’s just going to be a catch.

The bigger picture for the Vikings offense

You’d still like that drive to end in a touchdown, but the Vikings didn’t have Justin Jefferson out there. Not having Jefferson is a significant factor because his gravitas alone would have opened up opportunities to attack down the field. O’Connell also doesn’t want to showcase much in the passing game during the preseason, whereas the run game allows you to call vanilla concepts and let guys get reps. He spoke highly of Murray’s operation of the offense.

“I thought Kyler had command early. It was great to see him go out there and run the show, move the team, make a third-down conversion to [Jordan Addison], made a good catch there, and we’re able to get points. And that’s the way starting the game off, getting points, and allowing our defense as much as we can to play for a lead is going to be critical,” said O’Connell.

Only getting three passes to break down is a little frustrating, but it makes a lot of sense. Murray is in a position where he needs to learn the offense and get those reps, but the Vikings don’t want to put too much on film. They found a way to balance it out.

O’Connell was also proven right with his quarterback decision. J.J. McCarthy took over after Murray’s drive and looked really poor. He was still processing the game slowly, not seeing things well, throwing off his back foot, and nearly every ball was a rocket when it didn’t need to be. McCarthy is simply not ready to be a starting quarterback, which is frustrating because going into last season, it felt like he was ready based on training camp practices. That hasn’t manifested overall. What made matters worse was Carson Wentz showed major struggles in his own right.

The Vikings made the right decision with Murray, and you can feel a little more confident about where things are going because of how comfortable he looked under center. It wasn’t perfect, but the issues are easily fixable, and that’s what training camp is for.