The Vikings left Chicago with a 9-3 win, a 2-0 start, and a little more to worry about than they probably wanted.
Aaron Jones absorbed a brutal helmet-to-helmet shot in the victory over the Bears and still handled 23 carries for 105 yards, his heaviest workload since 2022. Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday that Jones is feeling it a bit today, but is expected to be fine for Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jones made clear after the game that the hit didn’t knock him off his rhythm. He said, "Surprised it wasn't (called) helmet-to-helmet.
Just gotta pop up, get your helmet back, and get ready to play the next play. It didn't affect me.
He was talking trash. I wanted to say 'scoreboard' but just let him have it."
The bigger picture for Minnesota won’t come into focus until Wednesday, when the first injury report of the week drops. Even so, O’Connell did give a few clues on Monday about which names are worth watching.
Kyler Murray is set to return after spending one week in concussion protocol, but the Vikings have uncertainty at two other spots. Punter Brett Thorson is dealing with a hamstring issue, and defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is day to day with a hip injury.
Ingram-Dawkins started in Week 2 but was limited to 12 snaps after going down early in the second half. Thorson, meanwhile, finished the game and punted six times.
The status of Blake Cashman wasn’t part of O’Connell’s update, which is a good sign after he left the Bears game with an injury. He appears on track for Week 3 in Tampa.
Ingram-Dawkins has become an important rotational piece for Minnesota after being selected in the fifth round in 2025. His rise has been notable again this season, especially with the Vikings using two early-round draft picks on defensive linemen this spring in Caleb Banks and Dominque Orange.
Thorson’s situation carries its own weight after Minnesota cut veteran Johnny Hekker during the preseason and handed the punting job to the rookie. Thorson, who set a pile of records at Georgia, averaged 49.5 yards per punt against Chicago and placed two kicks inside the 20. Through 10 punts this season, he has not had a touchback.
The Vikings will get their first official look at the week’s health picture on Wednesday afternoon. Until then, there’s a little celebrating from Sunday and a few injuries to track.
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OConnell said Murray is on track to clear concussion protocol and is expected back for Week 3 against Tampa Bay, a development that changes the look of a matchup Minnesota is already favored to win. Wentzs steady early work bought the Vikings time, but Murrays return adds another layer of intrigue to a game that suddenly looks more meaningful for where this team is headed next. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Suddenly Have A Week 3 Special Teams Decision To Make
Brett Thorsons Week 2 soreness has pushed the Vikings into a spot they probably did not expect this early in the season. Kevin OConnell said the punters hamstring will be further examined, and that matters because Minnesota suddenly has to think about how it handles a specialist position that usually goes unnoticed until something goes wrong.
Johnny Hekker remains available as an unsigned free agent, which gives the Vikings a familiar fallback if Thorson cannot go. For now, the focus is on the extent of the injury and whether Minnesota needs to make a quick adjustment heading into Week 3, a reminder that even the quietest roster spots can turn into real decisions fast. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Got Caught In Foxs Most Infuriating Broadcast Mess
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By the time the primetime window rolled around, Fox had cleaned up the technical problems and was back to normal for Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady on Cowboys-Commanders. For Vikings fans keeping tabs on a division rival, it was the kind of broadcast mess that quickly became part of the conversation, especially with Green Bay again in the middle of the afternoon chaos. [Read more 🡒]