The Minnesota Vikings are left searching for answers at quarterback. In some ways, it's impressive they are still 6-2 with such a glaring hole at the most important position in football. It suggests that if they can find that quarterback, Minnesota has the infrastructure in place, especially on defense and special teams, to be contenders.
But teams like the Arizona Cardinals know that finding that long-term answer at quarterback is far easier said than done. And there are parallels between Minnesota and Arizona's desperation, as both teams have learned for themselves that Kyler Murray wasn't the answer.
Vikings finally see why the Cardinals moved on from Kyler Murray
The Cardinals found out the hard or reluctant way, sticking with Murray for far too long. Credit the Vikings and head coach Kevin O'Connell for coming to that realization far sooner, though it's fair to wonder how much was due to Murray's performance and how much was due to his injury. Murray was ruled out in Monday's matchup against the Buffalo Bills with a Grade 2 hamstring strain and is now considered week-to-week. So the injury itself is legitimate, but this benching seemed to be trending in that direction even before the injury.
Wentz proved to be a far more drastic downgrade than many expected against the Bills. In a sloppy game that Minnesota lost 23-6, he completed just 8-of-25 passes for 81 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
The fact that the Vikings are now at a quarterback crossroads approaching Tuesday's trade deadline, rather than coming out and saying Murray is this team's starter once he's back from injury, suggests Minnesota may have no viable starting options on this roster.
Following Monday's loss to the Bills, O'Connell was asked whether the team plans to address the position at the deadline or make it work with its current room of Wentz, Murray, and Max Brosmer. O'Connell left that one unanswered, deferring to general manager Nolan Teasley for the direction he wants to take this roster.
Should they keep this group intact, it would still be Murray that gives this team the best chance to win once he returns from injury. But the Vikings are a smart, and even underrated, organization. They ultimately know Murray doesn't give them a realistic chance to contend. It's not even a guarantee they make the postseason, given the stacked NFC North they're stuck in, where the team in last is currently the 6-3 Green Bay Packers.
When you compare Minnesota's quarterback room to their divisional rivals, it's clear the Vikings are at a major disadvantage against Detroit's Jared Goff, Green Bay's Jordan Love, and Chicago's Caleb Williams. They're hoping to bridge that gap at the deadline, as it's wider between Murray and the rest of these quarterbacks than they had hoped entering the season.
Minnesota doesn't want to repeat a similar mistake as Arizona, sticking with Murray for too long and resulting in more wasted seasons than the Cardinals would like to admit.
Arizona now has somehow even worse quarterback struggles after trading Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II potentially out for the season with a torn UCL. But that's setting the stage to find that long-term answer once and for all, whether it's giving rookie Carson Beck a midseason audition as the likely starter or drafting someone next offseason.
It's a short-term step back to set themselves up for future success. The Vikings don't have that luxury to reset as they're looking to contend. But Murray's limitations are capping that contender ceiling, as they were in Arizona as well.
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