EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The evidence for Aaron Jones that the Minnesota Vikings have taken a more aggressive approach to improving their rushing attack appeared often during offseason practices and training camp.
The sound came first in the form of a hustling teammate making himself heard right behind him at the end of a run during full-team drills. The sight quickly followed.
“I look,” Jones said, “and it's one of my offensive linemen.”
The Vikings jumped to 11th in the NFL last season in yards per rushing attempt (4.5), the first time in four years under coach Kevin O'Connell they weren't in the bottom quarter of the league, but after grinding through quarterback J.J. McCarthy's rocky debut they realized they still needed more from the ground game.
Better health for the offensive line ought to help.
Left tackle Christian Darrisaw and right guard Will Fries were recovering from major injuries in 2024 and had below standard seasons. Fries played every game but didn't make the impact the Vikings were anticipating after he was a priority signing in free agency. Darrisaw couldn't get right on his reconstructed knee and only played 50% of the snaps in 2025.
Right tackle Brian O'Neill and left guard Donovan Jackson missed three games each. Center Ryan Kelly only made it through one-third of the snaps because of recurring concussions and was forced to retire, with the versatile Blake Brandel taking that spot on a full-time basis for 2026.
Mindset and strategy are parts of the equation, too.
O'Connell promoted Keith Carter to offensive line coach after serving as the assistant last year to Chris Kuper, who was not retained after his contract expired. Former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith was also hired as an assistant head coach, bringing with him a strong background in the running game.
The Vikings are thus leaning into more wide zone running plays that rely on the linemen to use their athleticism to move laterally to block certain areas and create cutback lanes for Jones and Jordan Mason, with speedy rookie Demond Claiborne behind them on the depth chart. With Carter at the helm, there's also been a ramp-up in the intensity of practices for the group.
“We know the intention behind it,” Darrisaw said. “We love it, and it’s really just trusting it at the end of the day, and we know it’ll pay off.”
The rest of the team has noticed.
“We’ve been looking really, really good in training camp, seeing the guys come off the ball and move people around up front,” wide receiver Justin Jefferson said. “They’re the tone setters and really what makes the whole offense go. We’re definitely looking forward to that this season.”
Jones took a pay cut to return for a third year with the Vikings, his 10th in the league. The season opener on Sunday afternoon against the rival Green Bay Packers will give him another opportunity to try to beat the team that released him in 2024.
“I have nothing but love, but at the same time, it’s like a sense they didn’t want you,” Jones said. “So it’s like still go prove it, every time.”
The Packers sure haven't written him off.
“I think he’s still quite the guy," coach Matt LaFleur said. "Yes, he’s got more wear and tear, but the guy’s a dynamic player and a dynamic person, and he can really hurt you.”
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) hands the ball off to running back Demond Claiborne (21) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell reacts during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rebounded Friday and regained much of their losses for the week after oil prices eased off their recent spurt. An update on inflation across the United States that came in close to economists’ expectations, even if prices are still rising too quickly for everyone’s liking, also helped calm the market.
The S&P 500 climbed 0.9% and snapped a four-day losing streak, its longest since June. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 509 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%.
They got help from a pullback in oil prices, which had jumped to their highest levels since May because of the ongoing war with Iran. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 2.8% to settle at $104.61 after getting near $110 overnight.
That took a bit of pressure off inflation, which remains stubbornly high. A report on Friday showed that U.S. consumers had to pay prices for gasoline, food and other costs of living that were 3.4% higher last month than a year earlier.
While still high, that was close to what economists expected and what Wall Street was prepared for. The data also strengthened expectations among traders that the Federal Reserve will feel compelled to hike its main interest rate at its meeting next week.
Such moves are the typical way the Fed tries to rein in high inflation, and they work by filtering through the bond market, making it more expensive for everyone to borrow money, slowing the economy and hopefully removing fuel for further inflation.
The rising expectations for an upcoming hike to rates drove up the yield of the two-year Treasury, which moves with guesses for upcoming Fed action, to 4.62% from 4.56% late Thursday.
Longer-term Treasury yields held steadier, though. That could be a signal that investors in the bond market see upcoming hikes by the Fed as helping to keep control of inflation over the longer term. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose more modestly to 4.97% from 4.95% late Thursday, while the 30-year yield eased to 5.36% from 5.37%.
Economists say hikes could quiet questions about the Fed’s commitment to keeping inflation under control. Worries had risen earlier in the summer about its credibility and whether it would do what’s needed to bring inflation down, even if it causes pain for the economy in the near term.
Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh has been adamant about not giving hints about where the Fed may take interest rates, though he did calm some concerns among investors at a speech late last month. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has been pushing for interest rates to go lower rather than higher.
“Symbolism can trump substance, even when it comes to monetary policy,” according to Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management.
It’s all coming at a moment when confidence among Americans continues to sour. A preliminary report from the University of Michigan on Friday said U.S. consumer sentiment is falling, with declines for both Democrats and Republicans.
Their expectations for inflation coming in the year ahead jumped to 4.6% from 4% last month. That’s the highest reading since June, and it’s concerning for the Fed and for economists because it can trigger a vicious cycle of behavior that worsens inflation.
On Wall Street, Kroger rose 2.7% after the grocer reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It also held firm on its forecast for profit over the fiscal year, even though it trimmed its forecast for an important underlying measure of revenue growth.
ACV Auctions, whose digital marketplace connects wholesale buyers and sellers of vehicles, soared 44.2% after Copart said it would pay $10.50 in cash for each of the company’s shares. Copart, whose online vehicle auctions sold more than 4 million units in the last year, fell 2.6%.
An early jump for Oracle faded as trading progressed after the tech giant reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. After initially leaping 8.5%, its stock swiveled between gains and losses and finished with a loss of 1.7%.
Stocks closely tied to the artificial-intelligence industry broadly became shaky this summer on worries that the AI frenzy may have sent prices too high.
All told, the S&P 500 rose 65.28 points to 7,656.98. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 509.19 to 52,573.29, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 251.31 to 26,333.04.
In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Europe as oil prices eased. London’s FTSE 100 added 0.4% after a report said the U.K. economy was stronger in July than economists expected.
Stock markets were weaker in Asia, where Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 1.9% and South Korea’s Kospi fell 1.8%.
AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.
The per-gallon price is displayed on an electronic sign outside a QT gasoline station Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Greenwood Village, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Currency traders watch monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
