The Minnesota Vikings may be 6-1 and atop the NFC North, but the offense is not exactly pulling its weight so far.

With that in mind, on Thursday, Nov. 5, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced that Kyler Murray would sit out Week 9 due to hamstring soreness, though former NFL WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh is reading between the lines on the move.

Why T.J. Houshmandzadeh Believes Vikings Benched Kyler Murray

Houshmandzadeh, a former Pro Bowl wide receiver and current host for the “Speakeasy” sports talk show, said that he looks at the move as a “silent benching.”

“Really, that’s what it is. They’re winning games on the back of the defense. The offense hasn’t done much of anything all season to be 6-1.”

Houshmandzadeh has a point.

Minnesota’s offense has a 68.5 Impact Grade according to PFN’s Offense Impact Metric, which ranks 29th in the league, behind other generally poor units like the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Arizona Cardinals.

Their defense, meanwhile, is ranked top of the league with a 93.6 grade in PFN’s Defense Impact Metric, which illustrates how dominant defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ group is.

Murray has not managed to consistently threaten defenses, and has also been unable to get the ball to his star receiver, Justin Jefferson, leading to an average of 170 passing yards a game with just five touchdowns to three interceptions in six appearances.

Those numbers don’t exactly inspire confidence, especially with the defensive unit locking things up on the other end.