New Details Emerge on Aaron Jones’ Injury
The Minnesota Vikings waited for his return from IR for over a month, and Aaron Jones finally made his comeback in Week 8’s Los Angeles matchup. Unfortunately, that game was a disaster, and Jones couldn’t change it. On Sunday, versus the Detroit Lions, he had a decent day but suffered an injury.
New Details Emerge on Aaron Jones’ Injury
Shortly after halftime, Jones left the game, and he didn’t return. On his final play, Jones was tackled by a couple of Lions defenders, who landed on top of him with their full bodyweight. Of course, that is a normal football play, but it’s painful regardless.
The veteran runner was in the medical tent for about 15 minutes and returned to the sidelines, slightly testing his range of motion while grimacing.
After the game, Kevin O’Connell told reporters, “Aaron Jones came out of the game there, evaluated for I believe a shoulder and a toe. We’ll see where he’s at. Hope to get some good news on Aaron. Thought it was a big thing to have him back on the field with us.”
Jones will celebrate his 31st birthday next month, which is quite old for a running back. Therefore, nobody was surprised when his first couple of games of the season, prior to his hamstring injury, featured a slowed-down Jones.
Well, there were no signs of slowing down on Sunday. He was fantastic, showing a lot of burst in his opportunities in what has been his best game of the season. The former Packers rusher ran for 78 yards on only nine attempts, and he added another 20 yards on two catches.
A sweet 31-yard catch on a wheel route was ruled a run instead of a reception. J.J. McCarthy might want his yards back, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter.
O’Connell’s optimism was proven to be right by NFL reporter Tom Pelissero, who noted on social media, “Vikings RB Aaron Jones, who was dominating early in Detroit before leaving the game, suffered an AC joint sprain. Belief is it’s minor and he believes he’ll be able to play next week.”
Jones is a well-rounded back, being one of the better pass protectors in the business, and he has good hands for a back. The Vikings are at their best when they can keep both runners — Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason — fresh and alternate them on any given drive.
The 2024 free-agent addition, who got a new two-year deal in the 2025 offseason, has dealt with minor injuries throughout his tenure in the Twin Cities, but it doesn’t seem like he will miss next week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. Because Lamar Jackson is back on deck, the Vikings need their top crew on the field to carry the momentum from the Week 9 win into the second half of the season.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.