Sigh of Relief: Vikings’ HC Kevin O’Connell, delivers tangible updates on RB Aaron Jones’ injury, return date….See Details
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said he has his “fingers crossed” the injury that knocked running back Aaron Jones out of Sunday’s game won’t keep him sidelined for long.
O’Connell said Jones’ right hip will be evaluated, but he’s hopeful it will be “short-term.” The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Jones will undergo an MRI on Monday.
Jones left Sunday’s win over the New York Jets in London late in the first quarter and did not return to the field. Before his early exit, he had seven carries for 29 yards and one highlight-reel catch for 24 yards. The reception came from backup quarterback Nick Mullens, who entered the game for just one play while starter Sam Darnold was evaluated on the sideline.
Ty Chandler and Myles Gaskin carried the load in relief of Jones, though neither impressed. Chandler had 14 carries for 30 yards while Gaskin toted it twice for only two yards. Fullback C.J. Ham scored a rushing touchdown, the Vikings’ only offensive TD of the day.
The Vikings’ offense struggled as a whole, particularly after Jones’ departure. Luckily, the defense stepped up to secure the win, picking off Aaron Rodgers three times and holding the Jets to 5/17 on third down.
The 5-0 Vikings are on bye next weekend, so Jones will have an extra week of recovery. Their next game comes Oct. 20 against the Detroit Lions.
Jones has missed time in all but two of his eight NFL seasons, including this one. He has 71 rushes for 350 yards and one touchdown on the year, along with 17 catches for 167 yards and a score.
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From 100-1 outsiders to unbeaten – how Vikings became NFL’s feel-good story
“People ask ‘what are y’all doing?’ Even I don’t know sometimes.”
Linebacker Jonathan Greenard may make light of the Minnesota Vikings’ superb start to the NFL season.
But a lot of thought and effort has gone into helping the Vikings defy the odds and become one of just two teams to remain unbeaten – before Kansas City conclude week five against New Orleans on Monday.
According to the pre-season odds, 22 teams were deemed to have a better chance of reaching the Super Bowl than 100-1 Minnesota.
So after holding on for a 23-17 win over the New York Jets in London on Sunday, many are wondering how and why the Vikings have become the feel-good story of the season so far.
Having fun and ‘taking nothing for granted’
The Vikings’ organisation was rocked by the death of rookie Khyree Jackson in the off-season before they lost rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy to a season-ending knee injury, but Kevin O’Connell’s team have used that adversity as inspiration.
Speaking to BBC Sport before Sunday’s win, O’Connell explained that Jackson’s loss has “allowed us to focus and have a reality check of nothing is given. We understand how blessed and fortunate we are to do this on a daily basis”.
When he became the Vikings’ head coach in February 2022, O’Connell aimed to build an environment where players would “come to work every day excited”.
Speaking after Sunday’s win, both linebacker Andrew van Ginkel and safety Camryn Bynum said how they are playing “a kid’s game” and having fun.
For the third week running, Bynum had a pre-planned celebration ready, and when he intercepted Aaron Rodgers in the first quarter, he and Josh Metellus replicated the handshake from The Parent Trap movie,, external which is set in London.
“We have a special job and never take that for granted,” said Bynum, 26.
“It’s crazy. We’re just a bunch of kids that made it to the NFL and we still feel like kids, so we’re like, we’ve got to capture this moment.”
‘Controlled chaos’ on defence
After five games, only five teams average more points than Minnesota and star receiver Justin Jefferson is third in the league for receiving yards (450).
But O’Connell acknowledged their offence had to lean on their defence on Sunday as the Vikings failed to score a touchdown in the second half.
Van Ginkel said that defensive coordinator Brian Flores “keeps talking about this thing called joy. We’re ultimately playing a kid’s game and if you’re not enjoying this then you’re not in the right job.”
“That’s what [Flores] has instilled in all of us. ‘Hey, your time is coming. Don’t panic, don’t be selfish, don’t play hero-ball’. We never know who can make the play.”
A ‘hungry’ roster with ‘something to prove’
McCarthy’s injury meant that Sam Darnold would begin a season as the starting quarterback for the first time in three years.
The Jets selected Darnold with the third overall draft pick in 2018 but traded him in 2020, and he was then discarded by Carolina before being San Francisco’s back-up last season.
“There’s a lot of guys that are still hungry, that have faced a lot of adversity,” said Greenard. “They’re still in that mode of proving themselves. This whole team is filled with that mindset.”
He added: “We’ve got so much more to go, we still haven’t played our best ball. We’re putting something together that’s really good. Our foot’s barely in the water.”
On his turnaround, Darnold said: “The biggest thing is to lean on the people that you trust. When you have those relationships, you know who you are as a person, and I’m very confident in who I am. I feel like we have a lot of guys with that same mindset.”
Vikings ‘won’t start listening’ to Super Bowl speculation
“We weren’t listening to anything people were saying before the season, so why would we start now?” said Darnold.
“The biggest things are consistency and resiliency, that’s kind of our MO. Staying consistent and having that resiliency to just take it one play at a time, that’s kind of our mindset as an offence, and as a whole team as well.”
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