There's nothing quite like the feeling of taking a handoff and hitting open air.

Vikings running back Aaron Jones, Sr., grinned widely just thinking about it — envisioning hitting a hole on game day and seeing open turf (or grass) ahead of him.

"Your eyes get big. Excitement, like, 'Oh man.' Especially when you go untouched," Jones said following a Vikings practice session last week. "You're like, 'What did I do to earn this?' There's not many of them where you'll find a huge, gaping hole. When you see that it's like … 'Thank you for this space. I'm gonna take it and make the most of it.' "

Following such a gain, Jones sometimes jogs back to the sideline to ask running backs coach Curtis Modkins what allowed the big break. The blocking teammate in question — an offensive linemen, tight end or even receiver — will then receive some love from Jones.

"I'll go up to him, 'Thank you, bro. We needed that,' " Jones smiled.

The Vikings are confident in their revamped run game and hope to see it come to life starting in Sunday's Border Battle against the Packers.

What if opponents feared Minnesota's run the same way they fear Justin Jefferson?

Because that's exactly what Brian O'Neill is aiming for this season.

The Vikings right tackle spoke during his January exit interview with media about Minnesota's up-and-down performance in the run game — while emphasizing that when they did have success on the ground, they generally had more success in the game.

Minnesota finished the 2025 campaign 9-8. In games where the team logged more than 100 rushing yards, the Vikings were 7-2. They were 9-3 in games with at least one Minnesota rushing score (this included three instances of J.J. McCarthy keeping for a score).

Throughout the 2026 offseason programming, training camp and preseason, there's been a comprehensive commitment to running the rock.

That mentality has shown up in roster construction by new Vikings General Manager Nolan Teasley, who has been "really pleased" with the team's progress and claimed offensive linemen Trevor Keegan and Nick Samac at the roster reduction deadline, emphasizing depth up front.

From Teasley and O'Connell to players throughout the locker room, there's alignment.

"There's complete buy-in from top to bottom," O'Neill said. "We've been challenged to make it better and are encouraged by where it is now, but it doesn't really mean anything until we go out and do it week after week."

The Vikings run a lot of wide zone scheme, which capitalizes on an athletic offensive line that can move horizontally in unison to stretch the defense, as opposed to relying on 1-on-1 power.

And Minnesota's o-line is built for running off the wide zone.

"Everybody up front, they can move. As big as they look, those guys can go," Jones said. "My steps have to be on their steps — but I'm also waiting on the quarterback, to catch the ball and then go, and I'm trying to catch back up with them. Sometimes it's like, 'Yo, you guys are fast.' "

Add tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver, plus fullback Max Bredeson into the mix, and you've got a group that can really put a defense on its heels.

"A lot of times the end guy is either getting double-teamed by those two tight ends, or you've got the fullback coming along with the tight end, which is helpful, and it just gets the defense running," Jones said. "When everything's played in such a window inside the box, those gaps get tighter and tighter. When you get them running [laterally], now they're in their stance they're ready to jet sideways instead of up the field."

O'Neill noted he's been "brought up" in the wide zone, which has been heavily inherited through the Mike Shanahan coaching tree, which included former Vikings Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak as well as O'Connell, who learned under Sean McVay.

"For me it's been like, 'Let's get back to some things I used to do, and I think I do them pretty well," O'Neill said. "C.D. (Christian Darrisaw) can do pretty much anything; he really can. And Blake [Brandel] grew up in the Kubiak system here too, in a way. And Donnie (Donovan Jackson) still a really young guy who can be molded into anything — and he has the physical tools. Same with Will [Fries]. They both have those tools to do it really well."

Part of the Vikings struggles in the run game last season stemmed from injuries to the offensive line and inconsistency at the position.

Entering the 2026 campaign, the Vikings are grateful to be back at full strength. A fully healthy Darrisaw anchoring the left side of the line, and a second-year Jackson next to him, has a significant impact on Minnesota's ability to gain ground.

Darrisaw's teammates have noticed a change in the left tackle this spring and summer that goes beyond a recovered knee.

"Just from a confidence standpoint, you see C.D. in a much, much, much better place. This is the C.D. I know," O'Neill said. "He feels like himself and is confident and is playing great. That's the C.D. we know.

"People who haven't been here long enough to know what he's really about, I'm excited they're going to most likely see what we all know him as," O'Neill added.

Vikings defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez interrupted this interview to offer his personal endorsement — as someone who sees him daily on the practice field — of Darrisaw.

"C.D.'s been a dawg," Rodriguez drawled. "He's a freaking dog on the o-line. He's been working his tail end off."

In a training camp interview with media members last month, Darrisaw said "it's gonna be fun" continuing to work with this group of linemen. He additionally emphasized Jackson's growth a year-plus out from being drafted 24^th overall.

Darrisaw noted the game is slowing down for Jackson, who has inherent athletic and physical ability.

"Year 2 is gonna be good for him," Darrisaw said. "And I wasn't with him every game last season, but we were still in each other's ear. And from the spring until now, we've been able to play off each other. We know how to hit certain blocks and what we're thinking. It's going to be exciting to play next to him this year."

O'Connell's commitment to the run game has shaped his 2026 coaching staff, which included the hiring of Assistant Head Coach Frank Smith and elevation of Keith Carter to offensive line coach (Carter signed as the position's assistant in 2025).

Vikings Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips pointed out Carter has been successful with wide zone at past stops in his football journey and is key in the process.

"It's just a different style per se, from maybe some other line coaches across the league, but I think it really fits what we want to do overall, and the schemes that have run the ball this way," Phillips said.

Smith, a fellow offshoot of the Shanahan coaching tree, is a conduit of the team-wide acceptance O'Neill referenced.

"He's helped drive how important it is we get this right," O'Neill said. "The philosophy of it, getting the collective buy-in. Showing us, 'Look, when we're running off the ball and we're all in-sync, this is really hard to defend.'

"But it's like a coordinated dance. It can't just be the line. It can't just be tight ends. It can't just be receivers," O'Neill added. "He emphasizes how important it is for us to do two things — to be completely in unison and trust each other, and to play fast. … You have to set your landmark and run."

If the Vikings blocking can get the running back in a 1-on-1 situation with the opposing safety, Smith reminds, "That's why those backs are here. To make somebody miss."

Jones and Jordan Mason recognize their responsibility and are energized by the renewed emphasis.

"If you're able to run the ball well, I mean, we have formations where you can't tell if we're running or throwing it," Jones said, "and if you've been running the ball well, the defense will try to load the box and take [that away] and then we can pass it. It's all going hand-in-hand. The biggest thing is staying out of second-and-long and third-and-long, being efficient with our carries."

O'Neill and the rest of Minnesota's o-line equally embrace the challenge of enriching the Vikings offensive identity. They understand O'Connell — as a former QB — has a natural affinity for the passing game but needs to see more well-rounded production.

"One of the things we're talking about in our room is, 'Let's fully earn the trust if this is what we want to do,' " O'Neill said. "We want to run and run it over and over again. Well, let's earn that trust. Let's go make him feel as strongly about these run plays as he does about Justin. … Let's go earn that same level of confidence and give him another way to scheme up and dice up the defense."

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