Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell looks on before the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images.
This weekend, the Minnesota Vikings will face the Tennessee Titans. The game shouldn’t be considered a cakewalk despite the poor opponent and strong odds.
The Titans are stingy against the passing game, and Sam Darnold is coming off his worst performance of the season. It’s been time for the running game to get going.
When the Minnesota Vikings signed Aaron Jones, they did so in hopes of turning around a facet of the game that had fallen off. Alexander Mattison proved to be a poor fit as a starter last season, and Kevin O’Connell needed more. Thus far, Jones has given his coach plenty of praise, but his usage has been inconsistent, leading to plenty of points being left on the table.
There have certainly been games of inefficiency for Jones, and he has also been banged up at times. Still, he looks like a high-quality part of the offense that is vastly underutilized. Jones has reached the century mark just a single time this season, which happened way back during Week 3. He scored a rushing touchdown in Week 1 and then again in Week 7. Those are the only two rushing touchdowns he has posted on the season.
Last week we saw head coach Kevin O’Connell get cute in the red zone. After Sam Darnold converted a necessary fourth down, Jalen Nailor took a reverse for a seven-yard loss. That was a spot where Jones could have been utilized to run forward. The coach also dialed up a pass play on 3rd and 1 late in the contest rather than roll with his veteran running back, who had returned to the game.
It’s been time for O’Connell to lean on his running games as the Vikings close in on scoring territory. Sam Darnold attempted to force the ball to Justin Jefferson on multiple occasions last weekend, and each resulted in an interception.
There is no reason that Jones and the running game can’t be a bigger piece of the puzzle. Adding Cam Akers has also brought a new dynamic to the backfield, and the veteran has quickly proven to be a successful contributor once again.
There will never be a reason to think that Kevin O’Connell will be a run-first head coach. He doesn’t need to be that either. Minnesota needs to strike a better balance and lean on the talent they brought in to accomplish a job.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.