Kyler Murray will sit out with a hamstring strain as Minnesota and Buffalo meet with matching 6-1 records.
Kyler Murray is out for Minnesota's Monday night showdown with Buffalo, sidelined by a hamstring strain that the team is calling week to week. Carson Wentz steps in for his second start of the season as the Vikings and Bills enter Week 9 both sitting at 6-1, tied for the best record in the NFL.
This is familiar territory for Wentz. He filled in earlier this year in Week 2 while Murray was recovering from a concussion suffered in the season opener, and led Minnesota to a 9-3 win over the Chicago Bears in miserable weather at Soldier Field.
The hamstring issue surfaced after last week's road loss to the Detroit Lions, when head coach Kevin O'Connell said Murray was dealing with tightness. The next day, O'Connell said the 29-year-old quarterback was undergoing a full evaluation. With two of the conference's top teams colliding on national television, Minnesota will lean on its backup to keep pace while Murray works his way back to health.