The Final Hint on Aaron Jones Ahead of the Week 7 Lions Game
Well, at least there’s a chance.
The official word circulating online is that Aaron Jones is questionable. That’s the update from Vikings beat reporters and the team’s official social media. Kevin O’Connell ventured into the topic a bit while speaking with the media on Friday.
Aaron Jones & The Week 7 Lions Game
Start off with the other injuries.
LB1 Blake Cashman and CB4 Akayleb Evans won’t be able to go. The end result is going to be a larger bit of responsibility for Ivan Pace Jr. He’ll soak up more snaps and have the green dot on his helmet, meaning he’s the one getting the play calls. Plus, one of the other corners — either Fabian Moreau or Dwight McGlothern — will need to step into that open corner slot.
O’Connell also indicated that TE1 T.J. Hockenson, RG2 Dalton Risner, DT1 Harrison Phillips, and EDGE4 Patrick Jones II are all questionable.
Back to Aaron Jones, though.
A lot has been said about the talented runner throughout the week. Consider what Ben Goessling of The Star Tribune had to say about Monday’s practice. Goessling’s observation: “Aaron Jones is participating in the #Vikings’ light practice as they return from their bye week. Good early sign for the running back after his hip injury in London.”
Keep in mind, though, that Jones didn’t jump into practice on Wednesday before doing some limited work in practice.
Goessling illuminated how Jones would give Thursday practice a shot: “Aaron Jones said he’ll practice on Thursday and see how he’s feeling before the #Vikings make a determination on whether he’ll play Sunday.”
There is some belief that the runner will play, though. In the above video, you’ll see Ian Rapoport describe Jones as being “likely” to play.
A factor to keep in mind, however, is simply that Minnesota tends to be cautious with injuries. The leadership knows that the season is a gruelling one, so there’s a willingness to lose the battle (sit a player for a week) to win the war (hopefully have a healthier player long term).
The final word is simply that Jones is questionable. Or, put differently, he’s a maybe going into the game. We’ll learn more tomorrow, but remember that Minnesota has some beefed up running back depth due to the presence of Ty Chandler, Cam Akers, and Myles Gaskin.
Aaron Jones is sitting on 71 carries, 350 yards (4.9 average), and 1 touchdown. He has added on 17 receptions for 167 yards (9.8 average) and 1 touchdown. So, a productive beginning to the season even as he has missed a bit of time due to the hip/hamstring ailment.
Mr. Jones is coming in at 3rd overall among 67 eligible runners on PFF, further pointing toward an excellent beginning to the year.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.