The Minnesota Vikings held on for a 23-17 win over the New York Jets in Week 5, but they did not escape the showdown in London unscathed.
Running back Aaron Jones went down in the second quarter with a hip injury and did not return. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell provided little clarity after the game. He did say during his postgame presser on October 5 that he was hopeful Jones would not miss much time.
O’Connell’s hopes could be realized.
“The initial expectation is that Vikings RB Aaron Jones (hip) will be ready to return after the Week 6 bye,” Pro Football Talk posted on X on October 6. “Which is good, because the offense isn’t the same without him.”
Jones finished the day with seven carries for 29 yards and caught his lone target – which came from Nick Mullens – taking it 24 yards.
Jones was shown trying to get comfortable with the injury on the sidelines.
Ty Chandler took over as RB1 after Jones’ exit, finishing with 30 yards on 14 carries. Myles Gaskin rotated in, tallying two carries for 2 yards. Chandler and Gaskin’s combined production underscores just how critical Jones is to the Vikings’ success.
Vikings Offense Struggles Without Aaron Jones
“They need him,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote on October 6. “The Lions are next on the docket. They have one loss, and the Vikings have none. If the Lions win next week against the Cowboys, first place in the NFC North will be on the line.”
Jones entered Week 5 with 321 yards and 1 touchdown on 64 carries.
He finished the Vikings’ win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2 with 32 yards on 9 carries, adding 36 yards on five receptions.
The Vikings had 93 net yards of offense following Jones’ final touch, which came with 1:04 on the clock in the first quarter of the contest. Minnesota finished the game with 253 net offensive yards.
Chandler entered the week with 117 yards on 28 carries on the season.
He logged 461 yards on 102 carries in 2023, so he has been slightly less efficient in 2024 with a 4.2 yards-per-carry average compared to 4.5 last season.
Jones is proving to be a bargain for the Vikings after signing a one-year, $7 million contract in free agency. He entered the week averaging a career-high 80.3 rushing yards per game. That dropped to 70.0 following his short day.
Sam Darnold, Vikings Tie Best Start in 8 Years
Jones and the Vikings’ win over the Jets marks their best start since the 2016 season, and they can match their best start since 2003 and 2009 with a win over the Lions in Week 7.
The Lions were on bye in Week 5. They will travel to face the Cowboys in Week 6 before visiting the Vikings the following week. The Vikings dropped both matchups against the Lions in 2023 amid issues at quarterback.
Vikings QB Sam Darnold is 2-0 versus the Lions in his career.
He has completed 72% of his passes for 448 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception in those games.
Against a Lions offense averaging the seventh-most points and a defense that entered Week 5 allowing the seventh-most passing yards and the fourth-fewest rushing yards, the Vikings could find themselves leaning on Darnold more than Jones even if the latter is healthy.
