EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The productivity Aaron Jones gave the Minnesota Vikings last week came with a price, in the form of a knee injury that has clouded the 10th-year veteran running back's status for the upcoming game.
Jones was held out of practice Wednesday for treatment on the injury that occurred during his 23-carry, 105-yard performance in steady rain at Chicago
. The Vikings play Sunday at Tampa Bay.“He’s one of one as far as toughness,” coach
Kevin O'Connell said. “He’s a really good football player and is just as good as it gets from the leadership and establishing the standard of what we want Minnesota Vikings football players to look like. I know he’s going to do everything in his power to try to make it this week, and hopefully we’ll have him out there on Sunday.”
Jordan Mason, who led the Vikings in rushing last season, was placed on injured reserve last week because of a broken thumb. He must miss at least three more games. After Jones, the only other non-fullbacks on the active roster are Deejay Dallas and rookie Demond Claiborne, a sixth-round draft pick from Wake Forest. Behind them are recent practice squad additions Jerome Ford and Jarret Patterson.
Dallas, Ford and Patterson have a combined 14 years of NFL experience, but none of them were in training camp. Dallas was signed to the practice squad just before the season opener.
Even if Jones is cleared to play, the Vikings will undoubtedly be cautious with his workload against a Buccaneers defense that has allowed an average of just 3 yards per rush — fourth-best in the league — after ranking fifth in the NFL in rushing yards against last season.
The return of quarterback Kyler Murray from a concussion also raises the question about how much he'll be willing to scramble, having missed most of his debut and the game last week because of a hit to the head at the end of a run.
“This is going to be a challenge to try to run the football,” O'Connell said, “and we’ve got to try to meet it.”
For Jones, there's rarely a physical challenge he's not ready for. His 23 attempts last week matched the third-most of his career, the most since he carried the ball 24 times for Green Bay on Nov. 13, 2022, at Dallas. He topped the 100-yard mark for the first time since Nov. 24, 2024, at Chicago.
Jones even had his helmet popped up by a hit so hard it cut his cheek.
“He knew that it was a grinding game. The surface was not ideal, but we knew that we had to run the ball effectively and Aaron knew that his role was to run it,” left guard Donovan Jackson said. “When he came back to the huddle he was just like, ’Hey, man, just give me some space, and I’ll make it work.'”
Jones took a pay cut to come back this season, and the Vikings likely wouldn't have had the same amount of confidence they do in elevating their running game if he had not returned.
“You just can’t put into words how much he means to our team. It’s not just leadership and it’s not just being maybe the most amazing human being on the planet," O'Connell said. "It’s a football thing, too.”
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