The Minnesota Vikings know a quarterback’s best friend can be an effective running game, and in 2024, they hope to give that to the offense.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic wrote in a recent column about the impact that Aaron Jones could have on a Vikings team that never quite found it’s footing in the run game last year. Now, injuries caused problems but Alexander Mattison never took off like the team expected him to. After 700 yards on the ground and averaging less than four yards per carry, the team looked elsewhere for a solution.
That somewhere else happened to be a former division rival and a thorn in their side, Aaron Jones.
Lewis wrote about the presence of Jones, the team getting healthy, and the revamped offensive line all making an impact.
“Accounting for those factors, the Vikings’ best hope might hinge on improvement from the OL and newly acquired RB Aaron Jones. The former seems like more of a prayer, while the latter appears possible. There might not be a better petri dish for running back value than Minnesota’s current circumstances.”
With Sam Darnold and rookie J.J. McCarthy expected to start, the passing game may need extra help. Having teams stacking the box to open up the passing game can only happen with an effective run game.
