Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones exited the team’s Week 5 win over the New York Jets with a hip injury that exposed the team’s deficiencies in the run game.
Backup Ty Chandler struggled in relief, taking 14 carries 30 yards for a 2.1-yard average. The third-year back also fumbled the exchange on a pitch in the first quarter, resulting in the Jets flipping the field, returning the ball to the Vikings’ 15-yard line.
The play could have proved costly, but the Vikings held on to a 20-17 victory on October 6 to enter the bye week 5-0.
However, the offense was one-dimensional without Jones in the second half, gaining just 98 yards of total offense and five yards rushing.
Kevin O’Connell did not give any indication of Jones’ outlook, saying he’s keeping his “fingers crossed” that Jones’ injury is “short term.”
Regardless of Jones’ outlook, the Vikings should consider fortifying the running back room after seeing how Chandler handled lead-back duties. Travis Etienne Jr. could be an ideal fit and is considered a potential trade candidate for a struggling Jacksonville Jaguars team.
Travis Etienne Jr. Considered a Jaguars Trade Candidate: Insider
The Jaguars’ 0-4 start to the season has Jacksonville in dangerous territory of being sellers at the November 5 trade deadline.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler took inventory of the team’s roster and found Etienne to be among a few names that could be trade candidates if they do not turn their season around.
“I’m not saying Jacksonville wants to move marquee players,” Fowler wrote on October 2, “but we’ve seen this script before when a team implodes.”
Etienne would be a seamless addition to the Vikings running back room. The 2021 first-round pick out of Clemson proved to be a dual threat, rushing for 1,008 yards on 267 carries and catching 58 passes for 476 yards receiving and for 12 total touchdowns in 2023.
He was Pro Football Focus’ No. 11-ranked running back entering the 2024 season.
The Vikings could deploy Etienne and Jones in a committee approach for the rest of this season to keep Jones fresh and bolster the backfield with an option outside of the veteran back.
Jacksonville also exercised Etienne’s fifth-year option, allowing a trade partner to keep him at just $6.1 million for the 2025 season as well.
Jones, 30, is playing on a one-year, $7 million deal this season.
Vikings Survive Off-Game From Sam Darnold
Facing a vanuted Jets defense, Sam Darnold had the type of game that pundits argued would happen eventually — but it didn’t matter.
Darnold struggled in the second half after leading the Vikings to a 17-point lead to open the game but recovered well, leading a vital scoring drive 3 minutes, 7 seconds left in the game.
Had Aaron Rodgers‘ comeback attempt on the game’s final drive been successful, the Darnold criticism likely would have resurfaced. He completed 14 of 31 pass attempts for 179 yards and threw an interception in London.
But his playmaking when it matters has remained even in the face of adversity. Darnold has led three drives late in the fourth quarter this season to help the Vikings hang onto wins against the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers and New York.
While the Vikings haven’t trailed often, Darnold steadying the team late in the game keeps him as a potential Most Valuable Player candidate going forward.
