Vikings’ Aaron Jones’ shoulder injury is not considered serious, his Week 14 status is in doubt

The Minnesota Vikings didn’t just get shut out by the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13, they watched one of their most important offensive pieces walk to the locker room early. Veteran running back Aaron Jones exited after landing hard on his shoulder while fighting for extra yardage in the third quarter, capping a brutal afternoon in which he managed only three rushing yards on six carries and 22 receiving yards before the injury.

For an offense that has scored a combined six points over its last two games and already dropped four straight to fall to 4-8, any uncertainty around Jones is a serious concern.

Vikings do not believe that running back Aaron Jones’ shoulder injury is serious, and he is likely to be considered day-to-day, per Adam Schefter.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that “day-to-day” still puts his Week 14 status in doubt as Minnesota prepares to host the Washington Commanders at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Jones has been managing a shoulder issue for weeks and may have aggravated it in Seattle, which raises the question of how much workload he can realistically handle even if he’s active.

If he cannot go or is limited, Jordan Mason and Zavier Scott are the logical candidates to absorb more carries in a backfield that has very little margin for error, given how badly the Vikings have moved the ball lately.

The uncertainty around Jones comes as Minnesota is also trying to stabilize its quarterback situation. After undrafted rookie Max Brosmer threw four interceptions, including a pick-six, in the blowout loss to Seattle, head coach Kevin O’Connell said the goal is to get JJ McCarthy through concussion protocol in time to practice and potentially start in Week 14.

McCarthy has struggled himself this year, with six touchdowns and 10 interceptions across six games, but the staff clearly views him as the better option if he’s cleared.

Put together, the Vikings are trying to stop a freefall with a battered offense, a shaky quarterback room, and now a banged-up RB1. Whether Jones can bounce back quickly from this shoulder bruise may say a lot about how competitive Minnesota can be down the stretch.

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