The Minnesota Vikings got crushed by the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football, falling to 1-1. JJ McCarthy struggled in his second NFL start. and then was put on the injury report with an ankle injury. Now, Carson Wentz is slated to start in Week 3. The Vikings made another injury move on Tuesday, putting Aaron Jones on injured reserve due to a hamstring issue.
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“The Vikings are placing starting RB Aaron Jones on injured reserve, sources tell me and Ian Rapoport,” Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported. “Jones was ruled out of Sunday’s game because of a hamstring injury. Now he’s out for at least four more games.”
Jones joined the Vikings last season after an eight-year career with the rival Green Bay Packers. After 1,138 rushing yards last year, he struggled in both games to start 2025. He had 90 total yards on 16 touches in the first two games, with one touchdown in Week 1.
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The Vikings were already having more success running the ball with Jordan Mason. They made a trade with the San Francisco 49ers to land Mason in the offseason to deepen the backfield. Mason has 98 rushing yards in the first two games on 24 carries, which will need to improve if Minnesota is going to win games without Jones and McCarthy.
The Vikings will host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon, with Joe Burrow also out due to turf toe. A lackluster Cincy defense is a solid matchup for Carson Wentz and Jordan Mason to start their run in the Minnesota backfield. They hope to bring momentum into matchups with the Steelers and the Browns to finish out September.
Last year, the Vikings won 14 games with Sam Darnold as their quarterback. Jones was a big part of that success, but without him, a combination of Wentz and McCarthy has to refind that magic.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Christopher Hennessy is a Senior Editor at ClutchPoints, with expertise in MLB, NHL and golf. He graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022, and he has work experience at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders reporter.