Vikings are ramping up their running game as Aaron Jones relishes a return to Lambeau Field

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — With J.J. McCarthy struggling to find his touch and the Minnesota Vikings having put only one field goal on the board to show for their first three quarters, their first big break of the game last week came with a long punt return that gave them the ball at the Chicago 24-yard line.

Just two handoffs to Jordan Mason was all the Vikings needed to reach the end zone and cut the deficit to six with 12:33 remaining. That's the kind of uncharacteristically conservative approach they might well need more of while McCarthy goes through his growing pains five games into his NFL career.

Though the Vikings ultimately lost to the Bears 19-17 on Sunday after a particularly erratic performance by their 22-year-old quarterback, the effectiveness of their running game provided a repeatable blueprint for coach Kevin O'Connell as he tries to balance McCarthy's development with a playbook predicated on a downfield passing attack.

“I ran it two times off of that sudden change, which is unique if you’re looking back over the catalog over the years,” O'Connell said this week, wryly referencing his pass-happy play calling. “Our guys responded, and put the ball in the end zone.”

Aaron Jones, in his fourth game back from the hamstring injury that kept him out for four games, had a season-high 16 carries for 70 yards. He's averaging 5.7 yards per touch this season, including his receptions, for the third-best mark of his career and highest since his Pro Bowl season in 2020 with Green Bay.

After ranking in the bottom quarter of the NFL in yards per rushing play in each of the first three years under O'Connell, the Vikings are eighth in the league this season at 4.66 yards per attempt. The arrival of guards Donovan Jackson through the draft and Will Fries in free agency, plus the return from injury of tackle Christian Darrisaw, has clearly provided a lift.

“Our guys are out there competing. They're fighting. They’re playing with a physical play style, which is something every team is trying to emphasize,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “You see a lot of good things out there for us. It's more about consistency down in and down out across the board.”

The Vikings are the fourth-most frequent passing team in the league this season. They were third in each of O'Connell's first two years and 16th last season, a product of winning 14 games and holding more late leads and the arrival of Jones that gave the backfield a boost.

Jones, who spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Packers, will relish another return to Lambeau Field on Sunday for the first meeting this season between his former and current team.

Last season he had 22 carries for 93 yards and four catches for 46 yards, but he didn't get in the end zone to create the opportunity to perform a Lambeau Leap, the goal for many a visiting skill position player.

Given the way the Vikings have been blocking for him and Mason lately, and how valuable another productive game on the ground would be for McCarthy's performance, Jones ought to have plenty of chances to score.

“Find a way to make it happen,” Jones said, “one way or another.”

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