There’s little margin for error going forward for the Minnesota Vikings, which will require a bill of good health and luck for a roster that is just returning to full strength with a vaunted Baltimore Ravens team looming.
Among recent returnees in last week’s 27-24 win over the Detroit Lions was running back Aaron Jones. Jones missed four games with a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 2. He played 52 total snaps the past two games before suffering a setback against the Lions, an AC sprain in his shoulder.
Jones was emotional on the sidelines when he was pulled from the game and vowed to return in time for the Ravens game.
“I’ve played through an AC before,” Jones told Reggie Wilson of KARE11. “I’m good. I’ll be good. I’ll be back out there.”
Despite Jones’ best intentions, the Vikings are taking a measured approach with the 31-year-old running back, who doesn’t appear closer to returning to action. Jones did not practice on Wednesday ahead of the Ravens game.
Before exiting the Lions game early in the third quarter, Jones had tallied 78 rushing yards on nine carries and caught both of his targets for 20 yards. He’s proven to be a reliable outlet for J.J. McCarthy.
Jones sitting out of practice Wednesday could be merely a rest day for the veteran.
But if he cannot play Sunday, the Vikings’ running game will be more one-dimensional with Jordan Mason, who has been a reliable runner but leaves more to be desired in the passing game.
Vikings Coach Kevin O’Connell Addresses Aaron Jones’ Injury Ahead of Ravens
Addressing what Jones called a precautionary absence from the remainder of the Lions game, head coach Kevin O’Connell gave an optimistic update on Jones’ status entering Week 10.
Positive news early on on Aaron Jones,” O’Connell said in his Monday news conference. “He’s sore, obviously, coming out of the game, but the evaluations have been pretty positive today.
“We’ll see how he does throughout the week, but (I’m) expecting him to be able to kinda hopefully ramp up his workload.”
How Will Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason Split Workload in Vikings Offense?
GettyJordan Mason #27 of the Minnesota Vikings runs the ball against the Chicago Bears.
The Vikings’ signing of Mason in the offseason was quietly one of the biggest moves of the offseason. Mason had seen significant success with the San Francisco 49ers as a replacement for Christian McCaffrey a year ago. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry and was seen as a solve for the Vikings’ struggles in must-have short yardage situations.
That seems to be the role designated to Mason even with Jones active. However, his limited usage in the passing game has lent itself to predictability over the season. His average has shot down to 4.3 yards per carry this season compared to Jones’ 5.1 yards per attempt.
When both backs are healthy and play the full duration of the game, the Vikings have played a hot hand. In Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, Mason outsnapped Jones 30 to 28. In Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Jones outsnapped Mason 26 to 17. While Mason saw more touches between those two games, it’s not a reliable sample size considered the Chargers game was a blowout loss by halftime.
Overall, running back duo has also seen a similar number of touches when on the field. Mason received the ball on 37% of snaps he’s played compared to Jones with 34%.
However, Jones is making more of his opportunities, accruing 6.4 yards per touch compared to Mason’s 4.2 yards per touch.
Jones offers a much higher upside for explosive plays as a pass catcher that will keep him involved on weighty downs, but Mason appears to be taking more of the early down work in the backfield.
For the rest of the season, the Vikings running back duo seems to be in a 50-50 timeshare in both snaps and touches.
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