Kyler Murray’s hamstring injury is serious enough that it will sideline him for at least a week.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters in his Thursday press conference that Murray is out for Monday night’s game against the Bills with a hamstring strain and is considered week-to-week.

Carson Wentz will start Week 9, which will be his second start of the season.

“For [Murray], his movement skills, and the way he plays the game, we do feel like we’d be putting him at risk of possibly turning this into a more significant injury than it is by trying to have him work through it here early on,” O’Connell said. “So, Carson will start the football game and Max [Brosmer] will back him up.”

While it didn’t seem like O’Connell was too concerned about Murray’s availability earlier in the week, further testing revealed the extent of the issue.

“I think hamstrings are always unique,” O’Connell said. "[Y]ou always have to understand that whatever that picture or that imaging says, sometimes it’s an injury you can really hone in on. That’s why I wanted to be certain before I went speculating on Monday just because I wanted to be sure it wasn’t something that would prohibit him from playing — until it was.

“I’m not going to get into the details of the grade or the injury or the level medically speaking, but just knowing that Kyler needs his mobility — it’s a big, huge part of what makes him an effective player. If that puts him at risk of potentially adding to the grade of the injury, we can’t do that. It’s a long season. We hope to get him back and get him going.”

O’Connell noted injured reserve is not a consideration for Murray with this injury.

Wentz stepped in and played after Murray suffered a concussion earlier this season. Wentz completed 23-of-39 passes against the Packers and Bears for 276 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

“Obviously, there’s a ton of confidence in Carson,” O’Connell said. “He’s had a major, major role in two wins this year against two really good teams. He’s a steadying presence and a guy we know can go in and play good football, that’s why we feel so great about having him here.

“He’s going to throw a lot of completions. He’s going to put the ball in play. He’s got such a high, high understanding of not only the offense but what he’s looking at on the other side. He has 100 games of experience. He’s the perfect guy in a moment where you can’t have Kyler out there at full strength to go in there. And we feel very strongly about when Carson’s in there, we’re going to get really effective quarterback play.”

Minnesota’s offense has struggled to generate yards and points this season, with the club ranking No. 27 in scoring and No. 29 in total yards. We’ll see if Wentz can provide a spark to change that on Monday night.