Chargers winner: Kenneth Murray
Kenneth Murray did not play up to expectations in the first three years of his NFL career. There are naturally lofty expectations when a team trades multiple picks to move back into the first round to draft you. Granted, Murray did not do anything in his first three years to help his cause.
The tape was not great for Murray in Week 1 against the Dolphins and fans just accepted that they were going to see another subpar season from the former Oklahoma Sooner. However, Murray responded with one of the best games of his young career in Week 2 and really set the tone for the Chargers' defense.
Murray turned in another impressive game for the Chargers against the Vikings. It was by no means perfect, but he did a great job in establishing a level of physicality for this Chargers defense while also slowing down Alexander Mattison and the running game.
Most importantly, Murray made the biggest play of the game at the end of the fourth quarter to intercept Kirk Cousins on a bobbled pass in the endzone. It was a fitting end to a strong game for Murray.
There were hopes of a Murray breakout season before Week 1 that were initially dashed. However, after two strong games in back-to-back weeks, the breakout season might be back on.