Sunday afternoon has a marquee game, and it’s between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. It’s not just the first game of the 2026 season, but it’s arguably the biggest season opener for head coach Kevin O’Connell.

Even after going 43-25 in his first four seasons, O’Connell’s future is up in the air, mainly because he doesn’t have a playoff win on his resume. With the hopes of fixing that, he brought in quarterback Kyler Murray, who will be his fourth different opening day starters in the last four seasons. Even with the improvement at quarterback, questions still remain.

Kyler Murray has believers in the Packers organization

Nobody knows how Murray will integrate into the Vikings’ offense. He’s never played in an offense like this, nor has the offensive tree had a player like Murray. That’s why the intrigue is so high, because projecting it forward is difficult.

Even with those projections being what they are, there are still plenty who believe Murray can be great with the Vikings. Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has a lot of respect for Murray.

“Offensively, Kevin’s always done a great job of putting guys in position, and then couple that with the fact that they got—I mean, they got some real superstars over there. Got a new quarterback that has always been a challenge to go against, and his ability—you’ve got to defend both elements of the play. You’ve got the initial element and then the off-schedule piece,” said LaFleur on Monday.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Kyler and his ability. Like I just mentioned, his ability to play on schedule or off schedule. He’s got a great arm. He’s super elusive.”

The last part of what Murray said is the biggest factor here. The elusiveness and ability to work off-schedule is something the O’Connell offense hasn’t been able to utilize. That changes this season, and it could be special once things get going.

You won’t hear opposing coaches talk poorly about an opposing player during press conferences, but the way they talk about a player will tell you subliminally how they feel. There’s a sense of worry about what Murray can be with the Vikings, and it’s warranted. Plus, there’s the factor of nobody having tape on this offense with Murray other than nine plays in the preseason.

Sunday is going to be very interesting.