About a month ago, veteran running back Aaron Jones stood at his locker inside TCO Performance Center, chopped it up with a handful of reporters, and wholeheartedly declared that he believed he was only now entering his prime.

Never mind that Jones has played in the NFL for nearly a decade and turns 30 years old in a couple of months. He entered this season feeling like he was in the best shape of his life, and after being cut by the Green Bay Packers, he was ready to prove it with the Vikings.

It appears that Jones might have been onto something. He has looked extremely explosive out of the backfield amid a perfect 5-0 start, recording 71 carries for 350 yards and a touchdown, to go along with 17 receptions for 167 yards and a touchdown.

You could argue that Jones has singlehandedly turned around a rushing attack that has otherwise struggled under head coach Kevin O’Connell.

Now the Vikings are left holding their breath after Jones suffered a hip injury on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Asked for an update after the game, O’Connell didn’t provide much information aside from saying Jones would be evaluated once the Vikings returned to Minnesota.

“I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” O’Connell said. “Hopefully will be short term.”

He might want to cross his toes as well.

As dynamic as Jones has been for the offense in his presence, his impact was most glaring in his absence. The offense was lifeless after Jones left the game, and while the Vikings still managed to escape with a 23-17 win over the New York Jets, it wasn’t a sustainable model for success.

There was absolutely no flow with Jones out of the game. Though part of that is a credit to the Jets’ defense and the job they did, it’s not a coincidence that the Vikings couldn’t get anything going with Jones on the sideline.

His effectiveness with the ball in his hands is why everything functions on offense. If it’s blocked correctly up front, Jones will hit the hole with no hesitation. If it’s blocked incorrectly up front, Jones will make a defender miss and gain some yards more often than not.

That’s not insignificant. It keeps the chains moving, opens up the playbook for O’Connell, and takes the pressure off veteran quarterback Sam Darnold.

That was lost when Jones was ruled out and the drop-off from him to young running back Ty Chandler was immense. He finished with 14 carries for 30 yards while looking completely overwhelmed in his role for prolonged stretches.

It brought back some bad memories from the past, like when former star running back Dalvin Cook lost a step seemingly overnight, or when plodding running back Alexander Mattison proved he wasn’t ready to be the primary ball carrier.

Eventually the matchup between the Vikings and the Jets turned until a rock fight, with the offense failing to establish a rhythm, largely because Chandler got stopped near the line of scrimmage virtually every time he touched the ball.

As much as O’Connell deserves some criticism for continuing to push the ball downfield with Darnold when maybe he didn’t have to, he also gets a little bit of grace considering he might have approached the game entirely differently had Jones been available to him.

Frankly, it doesn’t matter if Jones is entering his prime, in his prime, or past his prime. He’s an irreplaceable part of the offense regardless of where he’s at in his career, and the Vikings better hope he’s back to 100 percent sooner rather than later.

Minnesota Vikings’ Aaron Jones, right, reacts after making a catch during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, right, greets Minnesota Vikings’ Aaron Jones before an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

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