Aaron Jones Sr. didn’t just survive the mess in Chicago - he carried Minnesota through it.
In a 9-3 win over the Bears that was defined by weather, defense and Caleb Williams’ injury, Jones ended up as one of the biggest reasons the Vikings left with a victory and stayed the lone undefeated team in the NFC North. The running back’s role expanded, and for good reason: Jordan Mason’s thumb injury forced Minnesota to lean harder on Jones, while Kevin O’Connell’s offense has already shown a willingness to tilt more toward the ground game in 2026.
That shift is clear when you compare the first two games of this season to last year. Through two games in 2026, the Vikings have run the ball 62 times and thrown it 44 times.
At the same point last season, they had run it 45 times and passed it 41 times. The weather in Chicago only reinforced that direction.
Carson Wentz finished 11 for 20, with some throws bouncing off receivers’ hands, and Williams went 15 for 26 after opening the year with a 21-for-29 outing in Chicago’s 59-point performance against the Carolina Panthers.
Jones was right in the middle of Minnesota’s answer to those conditions. He handled 23 carries in the rain, his highest total since a 24-carry game in the Green Bay Packers’ overtime win over the Dallas Cowboys on November 13, 2022.
He turned those touches into 105 yards, his best single-game total since November 24, 2024, when he ran for 106 yards in Chicago on 23 touches. The Vikings didn’t get him involved as a receiver, and he didn’t score, but he still accounted for more than 40% of the team’s 246 total yards while averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
There was a scare early in the fourth quarter when Jones came up limping after a two-yard run on second-and-15, with what looked like a knee injury. Minnesota also had trouble getting into scoring position at all. The Vikings reached the red zone only on their opening drive, which helps explain why Jones never found the end zone.
The bigger question now is what comes next for the backfield. Mason will be out for at least three more weeks, and on Sunday Wentz was Minnesota’s second-leading rusher with three carries.
That doesn’t exactly scream depth. Rookie Demond Claiborne has been part of the conversation, and Deejay Dallas was signed and then quickly elevated from the practice squad to the active roster after his strong block in the return game.
That said, the backup production was thin: Dallas and the rest of the reserve group combined for two carries for eight yards and two catches for 14 yards. For a backfield already dealing with uncertainty, that’s not much to lean on.
Jones also brings his own injury history, with knee, hamstring and hip issues scattered throughout his career. He was healthy for the 2024 campaign, and his only other full seasons came in 2019 and 2022.
One thing that could help is Kyler Murray’s return to the active roster after a concussion in Week 1. Murray can add yards as a runner at quarterback, and that versatility may take some pressure off Jones. It also gives Minnesota more breathing room than Wentz at quarterback.
For now, though, Jones is the one who proved he can handle the load. In his tenth NFL season, he looked like the kind of back Minnesota may need if Mason remains sidelined.
In Other News...
Vikings Suddenly Face A JJ McCarthy Decision They Didn't Expect
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One recent suggestion from NFL reporter Gary Myers had the Giants weighing a possible trade for McCarthy after concern around Jaxson Darts status, a reminder that even a teams developmental quarterbacks can become part of bigger conversations quickly. Nothing has been confirmed on that front, and Minnesota is still sorting its own depth chart for the immediate future, but the buzz adds another layer to a week that already had the Vikings focused on getting ready for Tampa Bay. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Fans Face A Frustrating Week 3 TV Problem
The Vikings Week 3 trip to Tampa Bay is set up to be a little more annoying than usual for fans trying to follow along on Sunday. The game will land in FOXs late afternoon window, but the over-the-air broadcast footprint is limited, with coverage centered mainly in parts of the Midwest, Florida, Houston, New England, Pittsburgh and the Indianapolis/Cincinnati market.
For Minnesota viewers outside those pockets, the lack of an early FOX game in the local window makes this one harder to find on a traditional channel, since CBS has the doubleheader this week. So unless the game happens to fall into your local market, the live option will likely be a streaming service such as YouTube TV NFL Sunday Ticket, which is a familiar inconvenience for fans who just want a straightforward way to watch their team on Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Suddenly Face A Bigger Offensive Problem Than Fans Expected
The Vikings backfield took another hit this week, and it comes at a time when the offense was already looking for stability. Jordan Mason landing on injured reserve with a fractured thumb thinned the group before the preparation for Tampa Bay really got going, and Aaron Jones was absent from practice with a knee issue, leaving Minnesota with fewer reliable answers than it expected entering the matchup.
Kevin OConnell said Jones is not certain to play and is still getting treatment, which adds a layer of uncertainty to a position group the Vikings have had to reinforce quickly. DeeJay Dallas was promoted to the active roster, and Jerome Ford and Jaret Patterson were added to the practice squad as insurance, a sign the team is bracing for the possibility that it may need to piece together its rushing plan on short notice. [Read more 🡒]