EAGAN, Minn. — In his first career game on the visiting sideline at fabled Lambeau Field, running back Aaron Jones, Sr., did everything a former Packer could aspire to do in his return as a newly minted rival.
The Vikings back amassed 139 scrimmage yards on 26 touches, helping Minnesota hang on to win 31-29 on Sept. 29 last year. The victory moved the club to 4-0 and was part of the season sweep of the Packers.
OK, fine – not quite everything. Jones was dynamic as a rusher and receiver but didn't cross the goal line in his 54th career game in "Titletown" and first not wearing Green Bay colors. In a neat moment, though, he executed a "Lambeau Leap," lifting off and meeting a section of Vikings faithful after the final whistle.
In his second trip to his old stomping grounds, Jones is even more excited, he said, to properly ascend.
"I've got to smell the end zone, find a way to make it happen one way or another and then get my leap in," he shared earlier this week, laughing, and adding "in regulation instead of after regulation this time!
"Last [year], I was welcomed [back] with (so) much love and that's always appreciated," Jones expressed. "So anytime I get to go back, it feels like a full-circle moment and [reminds me] just to take time to realize the path that I've been on – this journey and all that it's taken, and what more it's going to take."
Through six games in his ninth season and second in purple, the longtime Packer has toted the rock 52 times for 256 yards (4.9 avg.) and a TD and brought in 13 of his 22 targets for 112 yards and another TD.
Head Coach Kevin O'Connell on Friday listed Jonathan Greenard (shoulder) and center Ryan Kelly (concussion protocol) as questionable to play at noon (CT) Sunday at Green Bay.
Vikings Uniform
Minnesota will wear its road uniform combination of white jerseys and purple pants.
3 Vikings Storylines
1. Physicality showing up
Minnesota's run game is on the upswing and so is the health of the offense.
Since the team's lackluster showing on Thursday Night Football in Week 8, the Vikings have averaged 125.7 rushing yards. Jones has games with 78 and 70 during that stretch, and Jordan Mason has at least 25 in all three games.
It's a ginormous improvement from the initial seven contests this year, in which Minnesota mustered just 93.9 rushing yards per game and topped 100 only twice – the team's season low of 34 occurred in that TNF fest.
"I think our guys up front have established that they are a physical unit," Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips said, highlighting the great strain by linemen, tight ends and receivers last week. "Our guys are out there competing. They're fighting. They're playing with a physical play style, which is something every team is trying to emphasize. … When it looks right, we're moving the football down the field and good things are happening. I thought the procedure, the operation of the whole thing, was much better."
Kelly's potential re-arrival in the starting five up front could be majorly impactful and keep the arrow pointed up.
2. Miniscule margin for error
Next Gen Stats currently gives Minnesota a 1 percent chance to win the division.
So you're telling me there's a chance! Yeeeaaah!
Honestly, that figure shouldn't be a concern because of how fast things can change in the NFL. Sure, it's true the Vikings are the cellar dwellers of the NFC North right now. It's also true they boast the strongest strength of victory in the division after 11 weeks (.450) and the first-place Bears own the weakest (.285).
Like the franchise learned last Sunday against Chicago, what's anticipated doesn't bear significance in determining wins and losses. A kickoff coverage unit that's been lights out for much of the season, for example, is only as good as its execution in the final 50 seconds of a one-point game. When the going gets tough, like it is at the moment for Minnesota, every player on the gridiron must embrace his role.
All 11 working in concert to go 1-0 is the No. 1 goal.
"It really emphasizes the significance of this one-play phase that we live in, the magnitude of how it can change the game outcomes, along with the momentum of games," Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels said early this week about the kickoff team playing greedily in the final minute against Chicago.
"The margin for error in the world that we live in is very, very small. And we always have to be locked in from a detail standpoint, a discipline standpoint, because those momentous plays can't happen. [Of course], they will happen. And you just always, really, want to be on the right side of them," Daniels said.
3. A developing bright spot
There's good things taking place in all three phases.
On defense, second-year lineman Jalen Redmond is playing with incredible consistency; 2024 first-rounder Dallas Turner flashed in Week 11, starting in place of Pro Bowl OLB Jonathan Greenard; and Blake Cashman's tackle tour is in full bloom – he has 51 across his past four games. The main men on special teams, kicker Will Reichard, punter Ryan Wright and long snapper Andrew DePaola have been superior examples of the consistency that the team as a whole is striving to attain; and rookie returner Myles Price (remember his name) seems this close to leveling up and transforming explosives into points.
And, offensively, Phillips recently commended young quarterback J.J. McCarthy for his awareness of various pressures pre-snap. The cement is still drying on McCarthy's post-snap habits, but it's a good sign he's looking more and more comfortable in the chaos that occurs in the play clock window.
Confidence in McCarthy has been a repeated sentiment by teammates and coaches, including Phillips.
"I thought he handled the pass-protection aspect really well [against Chicago]. It's been a real bright spot in his development – his ability to, when we implement a protection plan, to be able to get up to the line, get the communication, the initial communication from the center, and then decipher whether he needs to make a call to adjust the protection. And I think you saw that throughout the game; everyone was on the same page," he said. "The pass protection in general was a big plus – really in the last couple of games, those guys have kind of been jelling together. We're gonna have a big, big test this week, obviously, with that Packers front. But those guys gave [J.J.] some nice pockets, some nice time in there."
2 Things 'Bout the Packers
1. Dynamic O&D personnel
Green Bay has a surplus of talent, including many first-round investments on both sides of the ball.
The pass-catching depth and balanced production stands out; nine Packers have 10-plus targets and seven have 100-plus receiving yards. Matthew Golden and Christian Watson are speed threats. Romeo Doubs is a solid possession option. And Savion Williams and Dontavion Wicks are super-sized wideouts.
Running back Josh Jacobs, however, is Green Bay's most consistent playmaker. He is listed as questionable because of a knee injury but is worth highlighting because he's been a fiend for the end zone in 2025.
Jacobs has accounted for about 40 percent of the Packers offensive touchdowns this season and is second to MVP frontrunner Jonathan Taylor of the Colts in rushing scores (Taylor has 15; Jacobs has 11).
Beyond his 43 missed tackles forced, the seventh most per NGS, Jacobs is dangerous because of his fit in Matt LaFleur's offense, which dials up runs from under center or out of the gun and features lots of eye candy.
"It's thoughtfully constructed and designed in a way to kind of accentuate the gifts, talents and abilities of the guys on their team – o-line, tight ends, running backs, and in some cases it's the quarterback when Malik Willis jumps in there," Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores said of the Packers ground attack. "There's a lot to defend. But really, for us, it always boils down to technique, fundamentals, communication, setting edges, tackling [and] defeating blocks – all that stuff that's boring to everybody."
Minnesota's defense is ranked in the top half of the league in total yards allowed (317.5/game) but is one of the worst groups at taking away the football – the Vikings are 24th overall in turnovers forced (9) and 29th in interceptions (3). Both are far cries from 2024, when Flores' unit hoarded 33 and 24 (both 1st).
Flipping around, Packers DC Jeff Hafley "uses his players very effectively," Phillips assessed.
"Getting Micah [Parsons] was a big deal, but I've had tons of respect for Rashan Gary since he's been in the league, the way he plays the game, the physicality. Now they've got kind of a guy on each edge that you really have to deal with and contend with," he said, also complimenting the LB corps and secondary.
Green Bay has given up 20 or fewer points in seven of 10 games this season, the first time it's done so since 2010 (won Super Bowl XLV). Opponents have managed more than 20 three times and more than 25 just once – Dallas dropped 40 when the teams tied in Week 4. Furthermore, the green and gold are ranked in the Top 7 defenses for PPG (19.6), YPG (292.1), QB hits (59) and yards per play allowed (4.7).
Like Minnesota, however, Green Bay has struggled mightily to create takeaways, totaling eight so far.
2. Jordan Love's growth spurt
Pick your vantage point: the Packers QB is playing his best football, yet.
That's not to say Green Bay's offense is humming. It most definitely is not. The Packers have 47 combined points since Week 9 (15.7 avg.). But Love has dispersed the football to an array of players and protected it despite missing a couple of studs in tight end Tucker Kraft and center Elgton Jenkins.
"I think he's just gotten better every year he's been in the league," Flores said of Love. "I think just watching him and his cadence and how he goes through the cadence and tries to use that to uncover what the defense is doing, really, the entire game; there isn't really a down where he's not doing that.
"They've got some funky ball handling that's clearly practiced, and he does a great job with that as well," Flores added. "Even the little things, the minutiae at the quarterback position. He was behind one of the greats, (Aaron Rodgers), so he learned a lot from him. I think Matt does a great job [coaching him, too]."
One aspect of Love's game that could put Minnesota's pressure-happy defense in a bind is his skill evading sacks on drop backs. The only active QB, who has played a minimum of 50 games, with a lower career sack rate than Love (4.32%) is two-time MVP and three-time SB champ Patrick Mahomes (4.31%).
"I think some guys just have a knack for seeing a rush. I think he understands where his protection is and where he's protected. I think he gets the ball out when he's pressured. I think he knows where his step-up lanes are, what front [he's] getting. So if, you know, his guard's got an angle or down block, he may have a B-gap step up. Or just if they've got a full-gap protection or full-slide protection, he knows where he's got some places to kind of step up and maneuver the pocket," Flores said. "He also just has a great feel and knack for it. Their o-line does a great job. But he's got a natural feel for escaping – well, I shouldn't even [say] escaping; sliding, moving to avoid pressures or avoiding wherever the pressure's coming from and then getting out. And his receivers do a really good job of coming back to the ball."
1 Key Matchup
Vikings OL vs. Packers DL
The plan formulated by Minnesota in the spring could come to fruition, finally, Nov. 23.
For the first time this season, the Vikings could trot onto the field with their starting o-line, consisting from left to right of Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Kelly, Will Fries and Brian O'Neill.
Better late than never, right? And perhaps no better time than now given the Parsons-led front seven.
"He's lining up everywhere," O'Connell said of the All-Pro edge. "On first and second down, he'll be on both sides. He'll move around sometimes within a drive, so you really can't have, like, an exact beat on where he's going to be. And really the important part of that is whatever side he lines up on, Rashan Gary lines up on the other side. And they've got [Lukas] Van Ness potentially coming back, as well."
Minnesota's starting five offensive line has to be cognizant of Parson's whereabouts, as well as the alignment of Green Bay's range of talent up front and when it may be "my tough down to fight through."
Parsons, specifically, leads the league with 57 QB pressures entering Week 12.
Top Quote of Week 12
T.J. Hockenson on what he thought of Justin Jefferson's block on a TD run against Chicago
"Oh, incredible. It's awesome to see … the best route runner to probably play this game and to see him go in there and fit his hat and go into the trenches and move somebody and make a 10-yard run where we're first-and-goal to a touchdown where he doesn't even get touched. Those are things that Justin's able to do, and those are the things that he does. And it's always fun to look at him. He had a little flex after that one and a little celebration, so it's always fun to watch him do his thing out there. He's one of the best teammates that we have. And obviously, that's why we put a 'C' on his chest, was because he does those little things like that, that maybe not everybody would notice."
From the Inbox | by Craig Peters
What makes this year's disappointments so amplified is the achievements of last season. The "improvements" that were made on the O and D should have netted a better result. The truth is we have the offensive weapons to be a true contender. Unfortunately, we don't have the QB to get it done. I hope J.J. develops into a top-tier player but right now all he has is potential. In this case there's the possibility that once he gets there the dynamic of the team will change. He should have been the backup until he was ready for that leadership role. He would have gained valuable experience behind a [Sam] Darnold, [Daniel] Jones, [Aaron] Rodgers or other veteran. I understand K.O.'s approach but to compromise an entire season with that much talent is a bad move. My read on this was settled at the coin flip. When was the last time the Vikings won the toss and took the ball? A Wild Card spot at this point is probably not realistic. I'm still hoping for the best. 60 years and counting … Hail Mary!
— Rich Pallotta
Thanks for your support.
It's perfectly OK to share in the disappointment of the team being 4-6 this season and to have some degree of angst while experiencing growing pains at QB that have been exacerbated by other factors affecting this year's team.
There are two Vikings teams in 65 seasons that have won 14 or more games in a regular season. The '98 squad went 15-1 and set a scoring record that was later broken. The 2024 squad tied for the NFL lead in takeaways with 33 and tied for third at plus-12 in turnover margin.
One of the hardest parts about the abrupt ending last season was knowing that no two teams are ever the same from year-to-year in the NFL.
The Vikings set out to try to build a roster that would be good around a young QB while addressing some issues on the interior offensive line and defensive line that were front and center in the Week 18 loss at Detroit and Wild Card loss to the Rams. The intent was not to compromise the season. The plans that were unfurled during free agency had sound logic, but the rotating injury bug has continued to bite. Sunday's game will potentially be as healthy as the Vikings have been all season.
This year's team has struggled to establish continuity on offense, either with McCarthy under center or with veteran Carson Wentz filling in for five games. McCarthy and Wentz each went 2-3 in their first five starts with Minnesota. McCarthy also led a go-ahead drive last week, setting aside struggles earlier in the game, to drive 85 yards.
The Vikings have been walking through a takeaway desert, except for Week 3 against the Bengals. Minnesota is tied with Cincinnati for 24th with only nine takeaways each. The only team with a worse turnover margin this season than the Vikings (minus-9) is the Jets at minus-11, thanks to having just one takeaway this season.
Getting some shorter fields via a takeaway — like the one that nearly happened when Chicago fumbled a handoff but recovered the ball at the Bears 10 last week — would likely help an offense that has been slow to take shape, despite skill players with strong production histories. The offensive line has been improving, and if folks went back and compared McCarthy's Week 2 start against Atlanta to this past week, I think there are elements that show improvements, even though he did have some off-target throws. His completion percentage also was affected by six drops tallied by Pro Football Focus.
The on-field experiences have no substitute, despite how hard someone tries to simulate game situations in practices (or learn through on-field observation as the backup). The play clock allows mere seconds to get the play call, relay it in the huddle, get to the line of scrimmage, sneak a peak at the defense and potentially change the play, then execute with technique and fundamentals within the timing and rhythm of the offense make each in-game rep so valuable.
I thought it was unique (or at least rare) that the Vikings opted to receive the kick after winning the coin toss, and it was.
Looking back on past coin toss results, the Vikings had not won the coin toss and opted to receive since Nov. 20, 2022, when the Vikings lost at home to the Cowboys 40-3. The other instance during O'Connell's tenure was Oct. 9 of that season when Minnesota topped Chicago 29-22 to improve to 4-1 on the season.
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