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Aaron Jones #33 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts against the Green Bay Packers.
The Minnesota Vikings got some good news about Aaron Jones to counter the bad news they received earlier this week regarding injury reports. As previously covered, the Baltimore Ravens have a clean bill of health going into the Week 10 matchup.
Baltimore had zero injuries to report while Minnesota had a plethora. It is already confirmed that the Vikings will be without the services of TE Josh Oliver and CB Jeff Okudah. Safety Theo Jackson remains questionable as of early Saturday afternoon.
Aaron Jones Expected To Play Against Ravens
Patrick McDermott/Getty ImagesVikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is optimistic that running back Aaron Jones will return in Week 10.
Luckily, the Vikings may not have to be without Aaron Jones this season more than they already have been.
Per a tweet from Jeremy Fowler, Jones is expected to play tomorrow against the Baltimore Ravens. The running back missed four games this season with a hamstring injury. He returned in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
He was not effective in his first game back on the field, as he carried the ball 5 times for 15 yards. Jones had a better outing last week against the Lions at Ford Field. He had 9 rushing attempts go for 78 yards. The bulk of the yardage came on a 31-yard run that began as a pass behind the line of scrimmage from J.J. McCarthy.
His other runs did show that he had some of that burst we are accustomed to seeing out of him, though. Last week against the Lions was the first time it looked like Minnesota might have a semi-viable rushing attack after weeks of there being no impact from the ground attack.
Vikings Hope Running Game Can Aid McCarthy
Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesAaron Jones of the Minnesota Vikings plays against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit.
A strong running game will only benefit a young signal caller like J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy has really never been known as a stat-stuffing kind of passer like Kirk Cousins.
Opposing defense are put into a “catch-22” when going against the Vikings offense. Defensive coordinators must respect the outside threats of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. This in theory, should lead to lighter boxes for the Vikings rushing offense to exploit. Still, the Vikings struggle to run the ball effectively.
If J.J. McCarthy can prove to be an above-average passer, then this could force teams’ hands even more-so. If Aaron Jones shows burst like he did last Sunday in Detroit, then these two aspects of the Vikings offense paired together could pose danger to opposing defenses down the stretch.
The Vikings will need all the help they can get hosting a legitimate contender like the Ravens. Yes, Baltimore does have a 3-5 record, but the AFC North remains very much in reach for them. Both teams in this contest need to continue winning in order to fuel their dreams of making the playoffs in January.
Jordan Mason hasn’t quite been living up to expectations in recent weeks, so Vikings fans will be looking to Jones in the running game. The offense needs a bit of a spark and legitimate ground game to control the tempo. Going against an elite-level rushing team like Baltimore, this aspect of the game will be paramount for Minnesota this Sunday.
Brevan Bane Brevan Bane is a sports scribe covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals. Brevan began his writing career by making a platform on Twitter and leveraging his presence into writing and content creation opportunities for outlets like PurplePTSD, Vikings Territory, The Noise, Hockey Wilderness, and the VikesNow YouTube channel. You can follow him on X @brevmanbane. More about Brevan Bane
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