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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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Outside of the Green Bay Packers blowing a 12-point second-half lead, the story from Sunday’s season opener was Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback Kyler Murray leaving in the first quarter after suffering a concussion.
Murray took off on a QB run, and as he was going to the ground, he was sandwiched between Packers defensive end Lukas Van Ness and safety Javon Bullard.
Van Ness clocked Murray in the side of the head as he went down, and Bullard buried his right shoulder into Murray’s head and neck area as he slid. The play was hard to watch, but Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell doesn’t fault either Packers player for Murray’s injury.
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"It would be one thing if there was a headfirst slide and a clear declaration [of giving himself up]," O'Connell said. "But I don't put any fault on anybody there."
However, former Pro Bowl linebacker Tedy Bruschi isn’t quite as forgiving as O’Connell.
During Monday’s episode of ESPN’s “Get Up,” Bruschi stated as a former linebacker, he believes Van Ness knew exactly what he was doing when he flung his hand out toward Murray’s helmet, implying the Packers former first-round pick was trying to purposely injury the former Pro Bowl QB.
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“Let me tell you something I can do as a defender — I mean, I remember this — I could pinpoint my helmet or my shoulder on any minute detail on your body,” Bruschi said. “I can target whatever I want, and going full speed, I can hit it. I can be that accurate with my hit.
“That hit right there was to the head and neck area, he knew exactly what he was doing with that forearm with that elbow because you could put it on the knees, you could put it in the stomach — he wanted to put it on the head and neck right there.”
It’s not known how long Murray will be out, but O’Connell didn’t rule him out for Week 2’s game against the Chicago Bears.
"He was in meetings today," O'Connell said. "He's not having the type of symptoms where he's not able to be in meetings or things like that. He's able to watch the tape, and we'll just take it a day at a time and see how he's doing and make the determination when that time comes."
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