Vikings running back Aaron Jones was listed as questionable to return after a knee injury in Sunday’s game against the Colts. Jones went to the medical tent for evaluation, and the Vikings have not announced a diagnosis or specified which knee is involved. Minnesota held a 16-10 lead late in the fourth quarter, so the injury arrived at a critical stretch of a close game.
This is the third time in six weeks that Jones has had a knee scare. In Week 2 at Chicago, he exited in the fourth quarter after 18 carries for 85 yards, was questionable to return, and came back for the end of the game. In Week 5 at New Orleans, he came up limping after a lost fumble in the red zone, spent time in the medical tent with what was reported as a left knee injury, and returned to play. Both episodes ended with him back on the field, but a repeat raises the question of whether the knee is being aggravated cumulatively.
Jones has a long record with the joint. He sprained his left MCL as a rookie in December 2017, which cost him a game, and his right MCL in November 2017, again in December 2018, and a third time in November 2021 against the Seahawks. A knee strain kept him out of the Week 18 game in January 2022, and he sprained his left MCL again in November 2023. More recently, he suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2 of last season that put him on injured reserve for at least four games. He is 31, and the Vikings have leaned on him as their lead back since Jordan Mason’s thumb injury.
If Jones cannot return, DeeJay Dallas and rookie Demond Claiborne would handle the carries. Minnesota plays next Sunday at Detroit, so there is no bye to help with recovery, which makes the Vikings’ postgame update and Jones’ practice status early next week the key signals. A mild sprain could mean he plays through it again, while any ligament damage would lead to imaging and a longer absence.
