Vikings Get Major Update on RB Aaron Jones Ahead of ‘TNF’
Considering the Minnesota Vikings have had to pivot to veteran journeyman Carson Wentz under center due to J.J. McCarthy nursing a high-ankle sprain, head coach Kevin O’Connell and company have done an admirable job of keeping their heads above water at 3-3.
However, the margin for error will continue to shrink for the Vikings moving forward, especially heading into a matchup against a desperate and talented Los Angeles Chargers team in a short week.
The Vikings might get a boost in the backfield during the Thursday night matchup against the Chargers, with an intriguing update from O’Connell on veteran running back Aaron Jones.
Major Update on the Status of Vikings RB Aaron Jones
During media availability, O’Connell gave a crucial and positive update on Jones’ status ahead of Week 8 against the Chargers.
“Also wanted to make note that Aaron Jones’s 21-day window is opening up today,” O’Connell said. “That’ll be something that will happen today, and we’ll see where he’s at potentially for his availability on Thursday night.”
Jones is working his way back from a hamstring injury, which has limited him to only two games so far this season. The return of the veteran would definitely help out the run game, which in turn will help the passing game for Wentz and ultimately McCarthy.
Jones has carried the football just 13 times for 46 rushing yards.
Carson Wentz Gets Another Start for Vikings
The big question heading into a short week in Week 8 is whether the Vikings would have J.J. McCarty back under center after missing so much time due to the high-ankle sprain, which is always a tricky injury to come back from.
Unfortunately for McCarthy, it will be another week of waiting for the young quarterback, as he’s just not ready yet to return.
“Earlier this morning, we did put J.J. McCarthy through an on-field workout just to see if he had a chance to make it this week,” O’Connell said. “We’re all kind of encouraged about where he’s at and the progress he’s making, but he’s just not there.”
With McCarthy still not ready to get back under center as the starter for Minnesota, the team will turn to Carson Wentz once again.
“Carson Wentz will start, Max [Brosmer] will be the backup and J.J. will be available in case of emergency as the third. Like I said, encouraged about where he’s at and very much looking forward to continuing his progression and hopefully having a chance to go next week.”
Heading into Week 8, Wentz has thrown for 1,072 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions, which obviously aren’t great numbers, as he started strong, taking over for McCarthy and has cooled off with O’Connell seemingly itching to get his young quarterback back under center sooner rather than later.
It’ll be interesting to see if Wentz can lead the Vikings to a win against a struggling Chargers squad before handing the starting job over to McCarthy.
NFL Reaches Final Decision on Broncos LB Greenlaw Suspension
The NFL has decided to uphold the one-game suspension of Denver Broncos inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, the league announced on Tuesday following a formal appeal.
Greenlaw will officially miss Week 8 against Dallas before being reinstated to play.
The suspension stems from extracurricular activity that occurred in the aftermath of Denver's historic 33-32 comeback victory over the New York Giants on Sunday. Greenlaw was captured on video chasing and verbally hounding referee Brad Allen, who tossed a flag despite the game being over.
According to ESPN, the league said in a statement that Greenlaw "violated Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1(b), which prohibits 'the use of abusive, threatening or insulting language or gestures to opponents, teammates, officials, or representatives of the League.'"
Allen, for what it's worth, was also seen on the video seemingly pushing Broncos linebacker Justin Strnad in the middle of the scrum, which may have contributed to Greenlaw's actions.
Signed to a two-year contract in March, Greenlaw made his 2025 debut versus the Giants after spending the first quarter of the season on injured reserve due to a quad issue. The former 49ers star finished with six combined tackles and one quarterback hit across 21 defensive snaps, flashing physicality throughout the contest.
"That’s how I play the game, man," Greenlaw said, via The Denver Post. "I love hitting people. I love my job. I love what I do. "Football is the only place where you can go out there and hit people and not go to jail for it," he joked. "So yeah, I’m going to take advantage of my time.”
With Greenlaw again unavailable, the Broncos will return to a starting inside linebacker combination of Alex Singleton and Strnad against the Cowboys. The latter made arguably the biggest play of last week's thriller, intercepting Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart amid Denver's furious fourth-quarter comeback.
“[It was] unbelievable, I forgot about it," Payton said of the interception in his postgame press conference. "When he first caught it, I thought there was a [No.] 40 on their team, and then, thankfully, they were in white and we were in orange. Yeah that was two-fold. It was a turnover, but it also put us—it’s like a double whammy. You get the ball and then you get it there. That probably was the difference in winning and losing the game.”
