The Minnesota Vikings are 6-0 despite an offense that ranks among the league’s worst. Their perfect start has done little to quiet questions about Kyler Murray’s performance or how well he fits within the system.

Debate over how much Minnesota actually needs from Murray has only grown as the wins have piled up. Former NFL executive and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick shared advice for Murray and feels the Vikings quarterback should stop trying to force his game.

Louis Riddick Explains What Kyler Murray Must Do To Help Vikings

Murray signed a one-year deal with Minnesota in the offseason after being released by Arizona, coming in with injury concerns after his limited 2025 campaign. Things did not start smoothly for him as he suffered a concussion against Green Bay in Week 1 and missed Week 2 against the Bears, with Carson Wentz stepping in.

He has started every game since returning in Week 3, but the offense has continued to struggle as a unit. Minnesota ranks 29th in the league on offense per PFN’s Offense Impact Metric with a grade of 68.5, last in success rate, and 30th in EPA per play.

During a segment on ESPN’s “First Take” on Thursday, Riddick addressed the concern that Murray is a poor fit for a pocket-based offense. He suggested that, instead of changing his playing style, the quarterback should use his mobility when needed and focus on getting the ball to his teammates.

“I think Kyler kind of needs to go ahead and go look, ‘I know that everyone said that I couldn’t play from the pocket in this offense, that it was a bad match.’ Don’t try to force that. Don’t stay there unnecessarily. Use your athletic ability when necessary, distribute the football, and just be you,” Riddick said.

Riddick also explained that Murray does not need to be a top-level quarterback for the team to compete:

“If he’ll do that, again, if you can get top-15 quarterback play, top-16, top-18, in terms of all the important metrics: QBR, fourth-quarter QBR, third-down QBR, and don’t turn the football over, don’t be the reason why they lose.”

According to Riddick, the defense is the team’s biggest strength. If Murray does his part and avoids costly mistakes, he believes the team has the defensive talent to make a deep playoff run and reach the NFC Championship Game.

“Sometimes be the reason why you win. Let the defense go ahead and be the driver of that football team. That’s all they need. They will go as far as that defense will take them, which I think can take them to the NFC title game,” Riddick added.

ESPN’s Evan Cohen agreed with Riddick’s take, arguing that being called a game manager should be viewed as a compliment for Murray and the Vikings right now rather than a knock, with the team unbeaten and the offense simply needing to stay out of its own way rather than carry the load.

Murray’s game-by-game numbers show that he is still finding his footing. He went 3-of-5 for 18 yards with an interception in his limited time in Week 1 before the concussion ended his night, then returned in Week 3 to go 15-of-29 for 168 yards against Tampa Bay.

In Week 4 against Miami, he completed 27-of-37 passes for 247 yards at a 73.0% clip, before following with 229 yards and a touchdown against New Orleans in Week 5 and 150 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-24 passing against Indianapolis in Week 6 as Minnesota moved to 6-0.

PFN’s QB Impact Metric has Murray ranked 27th through his five games this season with a grade of 68.2.

The defense has done the work throughout the season. The Vikings allow just 12.3 points per game and have built one of the most dominant defensive units in recent memory, leading the NFL in pass defense, success rate allowed, and EPA per play allowed while ranking second in run defense. Their PFN Defense Impact Grade of 94.9 ranks first in the NFL and ninth-best in league history.

Minnesota travels to Ford Field to face the Detroit Lions next in Week 8 on Sunday, November 1.