During the Minnesota Vikings’ Week 5 clash with the New York Jets in London, running back Aaron Jones injured his hip and exited in the first half. What is Jones’ future outlook as the Vikings enter their bye week?
For now, Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell has said that the team is still evaluating its starting tailback but doesn’t expect him to miss significant time.
“All the early information that we’ve got so far, it looks like we’ve avoided a long-term injury,” O’Connell said.
Prior to the injury, Jones had been one of the most productive offensive players in football. He currently ranks eighth in the NFL with 517 all-purpose yards.
Jones’ outlook for the Vikings’ Week 7 game against the Detroit Lions is still unclear three days after he suffered the injury. His status as of Wednesday is “week-to-week.”
When was Aaron Jones injured?
Jones suffered his hip injury during the first half against the Jets during the teams’ Week 5 clash in London.
It wasn’t obvious during the game when the running back suffered the injury. He made a leaping catch down the sideline on a pass from backup quarterback Nick Mullens with four minutes left in the first quarter. After that, he only had two more touches in the game – two rushes to start the Vikings’ next possession with one minute left in the first quarter.
I keep coming back to this. Nick Mullens comes in cold on 3rd-and-4. Kevin O’Connell doesn’t care. Empty backfield. Mullens guns it. Not a perfect throw, but an elite newcomer covers for it. Confidence. Aggressiveness. No fear. Story of a 5-0 start – offense + defense. #narrative pic.twitter.com/oHSGbFjL31
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) October 7, 2024
The Vikings declared that Jones would be out for the remainder of the game not long after his departure.
NFL STANDINGS:Vikings remain undefeated in Week 5
When will Aaron Jones return?
The Vikings have a bye in Week 6, which gives Jones and the team more time to evaluate the hip injury before making a decision for Week 7. Minnesota plays its second divisional game of the year after its bye when it hosts the Lions.
O’Connell has already said Jones is week-to-week. Without a game this week, the Vikings may not be providing any additional updates until Week 6 is over.
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Vikings RB depth chart
With Jones’ current injury status, here’s how the Vikings’ running back depth chart looks:
Aaron Jones (week-to-week) Ty Chandler Myles Gaskin