Nobody is harder on veteran running back Aaron Jones than himself. Except maybe his mom Vurgess.

A snapshot of that came last month as the Vikings celebrated a 30-27 overtime win over the Chicago Bears.

There was a particular exchange that featured Jones seeking out offensive coordinator Wes Phillips after the game to apologize for a fumble at the goal line. As much as he appreciated the accountability from Jones in the immediate aftermath, Phillips didn’t feel the need to rehash it at the time.

The conversation happened within earshot of Vurgess, however, and she wasn’t feeling quite as forgiving.

“She was like, ‘He’s going to hear about it from me,’ ” Phillips said with a laugh. “That’s how she is. She’s great. She will tell him like it is.”

It was a similar story last weekend after the Vikings escaped with a 23-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Though he wound up catching a touchdown in the final minutes that proved to be the difference, Jones had another costly fumble earlier in the game that resulted in him getting benched for a prolonged stretch.

Not that Vurgess had any issue with the decision. She was actually in favor of some sort of punishment for Jones considering he has now fumbled in back-to-back-to-back games for the first time in his career.

“I was like, ‘I’ve got to learn from it,’” Jones said. “She was like, ‘You didn’t learn last week?’ ”

The fact that his mom is simultaneously his biggest fan and his biggest critic is something Jones has grown to appreciate.

He remembers his dad Alvin always being the person to hold him accountable before he passed away a few years ago due to complications from COVID-19.

“It’s what I need,” Jones said. “She has kind of taken the role without me asking her.”

As he reflected on his performance from last weekend, Jones said he was appreciative that head coach Kevin O’Connell called his number in the biggest moment of the game. Not that O’Connell even thought twice about sticking with him.

“He has been a huge part of our team,” O’Connell said. “He had a couple of tough plays there, and then when we had to have it he made the play.”

Do the Vikings plan to use Jones against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium?

“We have full confidence in him,” Phillips said. “It’s not going to affect the way we operate moving forward.”

That doesn’t mean there have been some added points of emphasis from Jones this week in practice as he tries to fix the fumbling issue. Though it’s been back to basics more than anything else, he has even tried some unorthodox methods to help himself prepare.

“I’ve been holding my kids like a football,” Jones said with a laugh. “Just getting some practice until my arms get tired.”

It also helps that he can lean on his mom whenever he needs it.

“It’s those conversations with my mom that give me clarity,” Jones said. “I’m thankful to have her.”

Briefly

On the injury report, the Vikings listed tight end Josh Oliver (wrist/ankle), kicker Will Reichard (quad) and long snapper Andrew DePaola (hand) as full participants in practice. That’s a step in the right direction as far as them being available for the Vikings this weekend.

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