For the first time in his eight-year NFL career, new Vikings running back Aaron Jones needed a new name for his touchdown celebration. After outrunning multiple Giants defenders to the pylon for a 3-yard touchdown in Sunday’s 28-6 win, Jones leapt into the MetLife Stadium crowd.
The ‘Hennepin Leap’? Running back Aaron Jones making himself at home in Vikings backfield
Jones, who had 109 yards on 16 touches in Sunday’s win, had as good a Vikings debut as coaches and teammates could have anticipated.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 9, 2024 at 8:55PM
But that’s no longer a Lambeau Leap. The former Packers star is wearing purple.
What’s the leap going to be called at U.S. Bank Stadium?
“I haven’t thought about it, but I’m definitely going to have to,” said Jones, who had 16 touches for 109 yards and the score. “Maybe the county we’re in — the Hennepin Leap? I don’t know. I’m going to have to think of something.”
Coaches and teammates seem to increasingly appreciate Jones, who signed a one-year deal worth $7 million in March after the Packers released him in a cost-cutting move. That love for their new runner spiked after his electric debut for the Vikings.
“This is a great way to start my journey with the Vikings,” Jones said.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell said he’d like to further feed Jones, who will turn 30 years old in December, but that seven penalties and a turnover contributed to the Vikings running just 51 offensive plays. O’Connell said he prefers that number to be in the 60 to 65 range, which means more opportunities for Jones.
“As the game went on [Jones] really started to come to life,” O’Connell said. “You saw some pretty special stuff running the football from Aaron there, making people miss in space. Great feel for bouncing it in the red zone. There’s a reason Aaron Jones is here, and I think Vikings fans got to see a little bit of that.”
Jones’ elusiveness is good news for left guard Blake Brandel and the offensive line. Just one NFL running back, the Chargers’ J.K. Dobbins, averaged more yards after contact per carry than Jones, who gained 74 yards after a Giants defender touched him, according to Pro Football Focus.
“There’s kind of nothing there,” Brandel said. “He dips backwards, dips the other way and cuts it up. … Even if the play isn’t perfectly blocked, he can still make stuff happen.
“He sets up blocks so well, but at the same time he just does some freaky stuff.”
Jordan Addison has ‘significant’ ankle soreness
Receiver Jordan Addison had “pretty significant soreness” from his latest ankle injury Monday, O’Connell said, putting his status in jeopardy for Sunday’s game vs. the San Francisco 49ers. The Vikings are preparing for the possibility that Addison is sidelined or limited this week.
Receiver Jalen Nailor is in line to start if Addison is held out Sunday. Nailor, who caught a 21-yard touchdown pass against the Giants, was on a rep count while playing through his own ankle injury. But O’Connell said Nailor emerged healthy and is ready for more.
“I’m going to tell [Nailor] to prepare as if you’re going to be playing a lot more snaps and a lot more first-, second- and early-down snaps,” O’Connell said. “That’s why he’s here. A ton of confidence in him to go be an every-down receiver for us.”
Celebrate at your own risk
Officials had a warning for the Vikings sideline at MetLife Stadium after outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel’s 10-yard interception returned for a touchdown in the third quarter.
“‘Hey, just a heads up,’” O’Connell recalled being told. “‘Half of your defensive staff is in the end zone.’”
O’Connell said he loves the celebratory nature the defensive coaches and players share. He joked that he stays away from coordinator Brian Flores to avoid “friendly fire” but that linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. accidentally injured the coach’s right thumb during a sideline celebration. Pace, a second-year starter, can be like a “jacked-up pit bull,” Brandel said.
“He’s just crazy, he’s a psycho,” cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. said of Pace. “But that’s my guy. You know when he’s on the field, he’s going to dominate. He flies to the ball.”
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is completing more passes more often for more touchdowns than he ever has. “What we’re trying to get from Sam is to play the best football of his career,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.
