Minnesota Vikings continue to get good injury news, and it could be the spark that the offense needs
The running game is set to get a huge boost.
Right now, the Minnesota Vikings are in a little bit of a conundrum.
The quarterback position has been tough with J.J. McCarthy being injured and Carson Wentz struggling. The lack of consistency and continuity has been really hard on the offense, and you can see head coach Kevin O’Connell being frustrated with the entire situation.
O’Connell named Wentz the starter for Thursday’s game after a Tuesday morning workout for McCarthy went well, but showed he wasn’t quite ready to go. In that same press conference, O’Connell gave us some more good news on the injury front.
Vikings activate Aaron Jones’ 21-day practice window
O’Connell announced to the media that running back Aaron Jones would have his 21-day practice window activated, and he could play as soon as Thursday night.
Getting Jones back is going to be a big deal, especially when it comes to having multiple options on third down with his ability in the passing game.
Jordan Mason has done a really good job of stabilizing the run game and finding success when there wasn’t much available to him. The one thing that hasn’t been there is explosive runs, which is where Jones can be successful, as well as attacking vertically in the passing game.
- Rush EPA: -0.145 (26th in NFL)
- Rush Success Rate: 45.0% (6th in NFL)
The level of success is important here, as they are getting enough yards per rush to sustain successful plays, but the explosive runs need to be found in some way, shape, or form. It’s not just in the run game; Jones activates the passing game in a new way that Mason hasn’t been able to do.
“He’s been, he’s a guy that you don’t need to get out there and test too much because, you know, in his rehab and the work he’s done on the side fields, he’s a veteran player,” said O’Connell. “He knows what he has to do. He knows what he needs to feel like. And we’ll be smart with Aaron, but at the same time, he’s here for a reason, and we know what he can bring to our offense. So we’ll see how he responds. Because he didn’t play on Sunday, he can do a little bit more, either with the trainers or, you know, side work, in conjunction with what he’s doing in the walkthrough, to mentally prepare, to kind of figure out where he’ll be at on Thursday.”
If Jones is back on Thursday, it could be a game-changer for the Vikings.
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