Kyler Murray benched. ASU icon Cam Skattebo set for prime time?

The Minnesota Vikings pulled the plug on the Kyler Murray experiment at Tuesday’s trade deadline. Facing a two-game skid and an offense ranked 27th in scoring, Minnesota sent a 2027 third-round draft pick to the Las Vegas Raiders to bring back veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins immediately steps in as the Week 10 starter against the Green Bay Packers, relegating Murray to a backup role. Murray’s tenure in Minnesota unraveled quickly despite a 6-2 team record. Formerly the Arizona Cardinals’ franchise quarterback, he struggled to master Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell’s timing-based scheme, throwing for just 1,022 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions across six starts. A Grade 2 hamstring strain sidelined Murray for Monday night’s 23-6 loss to Buffalo, a game in which backup Carson Wentz threw two interceptions and lost a fumble before getting benched. Rather than wait on Murray’s health or trust Wentz, Minnesota turned to Cousins to salvage its NFC North title hopes. Cam Skattebo fuels Giants’ NFC East push New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo returns to the lineup Thursday night, Nov. 12, against the Washington Commanders after missing Week 9 with a hamstring injury. John Harbaugh confirmed the former Arizona State star will be a “full go” for the prime-time matchup. His return comes at a critical juncture for the 5-2-1 Giants, who sit alone atop the NFC East despite generating just 31 rushing yards on 21 carries from Devin Singletary in last week’s win over Philadelphia. New York aggressively pursued Colts star Jonathan Taylor before Tuesday’s trade deadline, though no deal materialized. With fellow running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. still on injured reserve, Skattebo retains clear ownership of the backfield. He leads the team with 418 rushing yards and aims to recapture the form he showed in Week 7, when he ran for 124 yards against Houston before suffering a hamstring injury. Fernando Mendoza makes first start for Raiders The trade that sent Kirk Cousins back to Minnesota also cleared the runway in Las Vegas. Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, makes his first career start on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Las Vegas did not start Mendoza through the first nine weeks, while Cousins steadied the offense. But the front office opted to collect future draft capital and evaluate its franchise cornerstone over the final two months. Mendoza faces a brutal baptism against a Seattle defense allowing the fewest passing yards per game in the league. Steelers, Bengals clash for AFC North supremacy First place in the AFC North is on the line Sunday night when the 6-2 Pittsburgh Steelers visit the 6-2 Cincinnati Bengals. Both teams enter the divisional showdown riding four-game winning streaks. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow leads the NFL with 23 touchdown passes and looks to extend a historic streak of four-touchdown games. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers pursues his 181st career victory, which would tie Drew Brees for fourth-most in NFL history. Pittsburgh edged Cincinnati 30-27 in Week 3 behind two fourth-quarter field goals from Chris Boswell. Lions, Patriots take show on the road to Munich The NFL concludes its 2026 international slate on Sunday morning as the 6-2 Detroit Lions face the 5-4 New England Patriots at FC Bayern Munich Stadium in Germany. Detroit is on a four-game winning streak, in part because the defense has limited its past four opponents to 21 points or fewer for the first time since 2016. The trip serves as a homecoming for Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, whose mother is German. New England seeks a reset after suffering a 45-27 home loss to Green Bay, where quarterback Drake Maye threw three interceptions. Patriots running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson are sidelined by injuries, forcing the team to lean on Corey Kiner to spark the ground game.