Former Viking Could Be X-Factor in His Team’s Super Bowl Run
A few years before the Minnesota Vikings drafted a man nicknamed JJets, the team employed another iteration of a Jet — Jerick McKinnon.
Minnesota utilized McKinnon in various RB2 capacities from 2014 to 2017, a scatback of sorts who experienced playing time when injuries to Adrian Peterson and Dalvin Cook arose. And at the time, it seemed McKinnon had the talent to serve as a full-time RB1, mainly because of his speed.
Former Viking Could Be X-Factor in His Team’s Super Bowl Run
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Well, unsurprisingly, the Kansas City Chiefs — savants of modern offense — have tapped into McKinnon as a playmaker in 2022. He’s technically listed as the team’s RB2 — he’s used to that — but down the stretch of 2022, McKinnon has been implemented as the defacto RB1, particularly in the Chiefs innovative passing game.
The Chiefs have a bye this weekend thanks to fancy No. 1 seeding, but when their number is called in the Divisional Round, McKinnon will be ready and showcased to the utmost.
Why? Because the Chiefs have tapped into McKinnon’s core strength — speed in open space and acumen for receiving the ball. Kansas City traded game-changing playmaker Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins last offseason for a haul of picks and alleviation from Hill’s would-be gaudy contract.
The plan worked.
The Chiefs claimed the AFC’s top seed, Hill excelled in Miami, and Patrick Mahomes really hasn’t missed a beat without Hill. Go figure. The playoffs are afoot now, and Mahomes can’t afford to go Super Bowl-less for a third consecutive season. He’s too good for that malarkey.
Ergo, McKinnon will be on the menu. In the last five games of 2022, McKinnon chipped off 7 receiving touchdowns — yes, you read that right; a running back with 7 receiving touchdowns in 5 games — and became the go-to commodity for Andy Reid and Co. It won’t stop in the postseason.
Once-promising running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire never totally took off in the Chiefs offense and is now on Injured Reserve. McKinnon’s teammate, Isiah Pacheco, is productive but pales in comparison to McKinnon’s wizardry (for now). So, unless Reid strangely says “no thanks” to a hot McKinnon, the former Vikings playmaker will do some damage in the coming weeks.
In Minnesota, McKinnon tabulated 2,902 yards from scrimmage in 4 seasons, along with 12 touchdowns. He was a season-saver at times when big-name Vikings RBs hit the infirmary. Plus, Vikings loyalists always knew McKinnon was the real deal; he just wasn’t showcased as an RB1 because, well, Minnesota didn’t employ Reid or Mahomes.
McKinnon has recorded 803 yards from scrimmage in 2022 on 128 touches, with 10 touchdowns to boot.
He joined the San Francisco 49ers in 2018 — on a chunky contract — and promptly battled injuries. The man missed two full seasons in 2018 and 2019, if that can be believed.
Now, however, McKinnon is “back” and running roughshod in Kansas City. He has a reasonable chance at a Super Bowl ring, assuming the Buffalo Bills don’t stifle Mahomes for the first time in the postseason. It’s quite a marvel for a halfback who will turn 31 in May.
The Chiefs will probably play the winner of this weekend’s Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars game unless the Miami Dolphins pull a rabbit out of a hat in Buffalo. The Vikings host the New York Giants.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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