Help Is on the Way for the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings must erase the nasty memory of losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7, and one way is to welcome a playmaker like Aaron Jones back into the lineup. Jones should be all systems go as early as this week against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Vikings have a short week before Thursday Night Football, but they should get a boost in the form of a playmaker returning from injury.
Jones injured his hamstring in the second game of the season, a gross defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons. He’s eligible to jump off injured reserve now, and all signs point to that for this week.
Vikings RB Aaron Jones Likely Back This Week
A playmaking injection before Chargers-Vikings
Expect Aaron Jones to Be Activated for Week 8
A bit forgotten in Vikings-themed discussions as of late, Jones is due to rejoin team.
Pro Football Network‘s Jason Katz wrote Monday, “The Minnesota Vikings prepare to welcome back their veteran running back after an extended absence due to injury. Aaron Jones Sr. has been sidelined since Week 2 with a hamstring strain that required placement on injured reserve. With the mandatory waiting period now concluded, should fantasy football managers expect their patient investment to pay off this week?”
A source told VikingsTerritory late last week that Jones was ready to return, and in fact, if not for the mandated IR trip, could’ve played against Eagles.
Back to the Original RB Plan
Way back in March, Minnesota re-signed Jones for two years and $20 million while trading a 6th-Round pick for Jordan Mason to the San Francisco 49ers.
The two would presumably split the workload, but with Jones’ injury occurring so early in the season, Mason transformed into a bellcow running back, though the Vikings don’t run the ball too much in the first place.
With Jones back in the mix, head coach Kevin O’Connell can return to a running back by committee, which will come in handy because fullback C.J. Ham and RB3 Zavier Scott began Week 8 on the injury report.
Vikings Recent Rushing Offense Woes
Minnesota’s rushing offense began the season in promising fashion:
Vikings Rushing Yards,
and Yards per Carry,
by Week in 2025:
Week 1: 120 yards (4.6)
Week 2: 78 yards (4.1)
Week 3: 169 yards (5.5)
But the production has begun to sink:
Week 4: 70 yards (3.5)
Week 5: 97 yards (4.2)
Week 6: 89 yards (3.9)
Perhaps folding Jones back into the offense will a) encourage Minnesota to run the ball more frequently b) inspire more yards and efficiency. After all, in theory, that’s why team is paying a 30-year-old running back $10 million per year.
A Redzone Threat
Minnesota also encountered horrid redzone woes last weekend against the Eagles.
Quarterback Carson Wentz often plays buffoonishly in the redzone, and the team wound up scoring touchdowns on just one of six trips in Week 7, a stat that, beyond the shadow of a doubt, cost Minnesota a win.
One of Jones’ specialties? Redzone efficiency and scoring touchdowns, in particular.
Jones is a wonderful redzone option for a team suddenly beset by troubles on offense inside the 20-yard line.
More on Jones, Vikings Injuries
Kyle Joudry at our affiliate site, PurplePTSD.com, wrote this week about purple injuries, “Already slowed by injury, the Vikings’ rushing attack may need to lean on Jordan Mason a touch more (something that may be a positive). Losing Scott, if that were to occur, means not having a promising runner who has good size and silky mitts.”
“Ham, meanwhile, is rugged and versatile, capable of clearing running lanes, catching a pass, and blocking for his passer. The fullback is part of the winning formula in Minnesota. Note: Aaron Jones is eligible to come back, so the rushing attack could get a boost with the veteran’s return. But while seeing Scott and Ham hurt isn’t encouraging, just having a pair of ailments following a hard-fought game qualifies as positive news for these Vikings.”
Minnesota’s rushing offense ranks 27th per DVOA after seven weeks.
Joudry continued, “There may even be some optimism within the injuries. Seeing a player work through a bad wrist or hand is far better than seeing a player work through a bad neck or head. Ideally, Scott, Ham, and the Vikings more broadly would have no injuries, but that’s seldom the case in NFL football. Lately, the injuries have been much more serious. One thinks of losing Blake Cashman and Ty Chandler after Week 1 to the IR.”
“In Week 2, the Vikings had Jones shuffle to the IR. Ryan Kelly has suffered a pair of concussions across the opening five weeks, Andrew Van Ginkel has been in and out, Jeff Okudah needed time off, Brian O’Neill got subtracted, and Donovan Jackson had wrist surgery (among other injuries).”
No matter what, Jones’ return will only boost the Vikings’ offense — one that needs a boost.
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