Aaron Jones Has a Message for the Haters
The Minnesota Vikings embarked on the 2024 regular season after their rookie cornerback died, their rookie quarterback tore his meniscus, and their second-year corner tore his ACL.
Aaron Jones Has a Message for the Haters
The team wasn’t on pundits’ radar to do much. After all, it would feature Sam Darnold at QB1, and he was a bust, right?
Well, RB1 Aaron Jones remembers that doubt. Oddsmakers pegged the Vikings for six or seven wins, and Jones has a long memory. Jones told SI.com’s Albert Breer this week, “Nobody really believed in us. They were saying you’re going to win six games and finish last in the division. Everything we did was done in the dark, but it was never dark in that facility. It was always fun to come to work.”
Indeed, sportsbooks labeled Minnesota as a 6.5-win team all spring and summer. Websites like this one predicted a 7-10 or 8-9 record.
“We always believed in each other. Head coach Kevin O’Connell told us we would be right where we are right now,” Jones added.
The Vikings have cruised this year, tabulating a 14-2 record, and have the regular season on the line this weekend. Minnesota travels to Detroit for Sunday Night Football, taking on the Lions for the NFC North crown, the NFC’s No. 1 seed, and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. It’s all on the line.
The purple defense ranks No. 1 in the NFL per EPA/Play, a major reason Minnesota has the nifty 14-2 win-loss record. The offense, too, has hummed, thanks to Sam Darnold’s reclamation season. The Vikings signed Darnold as a “patchover quarterback” for rookie passer J.J. McCarthy in March at one year and $10 million. Some thought he’d perform decently within Kevin O’Connell’s system, but Darnold has busted out into stardom, delivering 36 total touchdowns in 16 games. He’s even prancing on the edges of MVP discussions.
Jones said about Darnold after the Vikings’ win over the Green Bay Packers last weekend: “I’m so happy for Sam. Outside of these walls, nobody really believed in him. Nobody really gave him a chance, but he’s proven everybody wrong, and I’m just so happy for him.”
Justin Jefferson, the team’s best player, hasn’t been shy about complimenting Darnold either. “He fits perfectly here. With the coaching staff, the play calling, he feels a lot more comfortable, which I can see,” Jefferson said Sunday night. “I can’t speak for him, but he seems a lot more comfortable — a lot more confident just going out there and playing ball, especially when you have so many different guys you can throw the ball to. Sam has been playing great. Playing fantastic.”
Jones’ message about “nobody believing” in the Vikings can come full circle on Sunday night if his team topples the mighty Detroit Lions.
Then, the franchise would be two wins away from its first Super Bowl trip in 48 years.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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