EAGAN, Minn. -- It was a simple 3-yard run, behind the kind of "duo" blocking scheme Aaron Jones has capitalized on countless times in his NFL career. The Minnesota Vikings' new running back took the handoff from quarterback Sam Darnold and saw a sea of New York Giants defenders clogging the middle. So he bounced outside and outran the defense to the left pylon for a touchdown.
The score gave the Vikings a lead they never relinquished in a 28-6 victory Sunday at MetLife Stadium, one that indicated immediately that the Vikings have opened some of the basic offensive doors that seemed shut for most of the 2023 season. After releasing longtime tailback Dalvin Cook in June 2023, the Vikings turned over the position to backup Alexander Mattison and they didn't score a rushing touchdown until Week 8. They were especially ineffective in goal-to-go situations like the one Jones converted Sunday, collecting an NFL-low four touchdowns in such situations for the season.
The Vikings signed Jones to reverse that trend, pairing him with emerging backup Ty Chandler, and, for one game at least, the formula worked. Jones finished the game with 93 yards on 14 carries over 27 snaps, including not only the touchdown but also five runs of at least 10 yards, a rate of 35.7% that led all NFL rushers in Week 1. (In 2023, the Vikings ranked 25th with a 9.7% rate of rushes of 10-plus yards).
"You saw some pretty darn special stuff running the football from Aaron there," said coach Kevin O'Connell, "making people miss in space, a great feel for bouncing it in the red zone. So there's a reason why Aaron Jones is here, and I think Vikings fans got to see a little bit of that [Sunday]."
Most of the oxygen around the Vikings' offense this summer was consumed by discussion of their quarterback position. First, the potential for a competition between Darnold and rookie J.J. McCarthy, then McCarthy's season-ending injury and finally Darnold's aptitude for running the offense over a full 17-game season. Jones lurked largely in the background, sitting out all three preseason games while following a work regimen developed for him by the team's strength and conditioning staff.
He looked spry and speedy during practices. And last week, he emerged from camp to say that "this is the best I've felt heading into a season," adding that he was "ready to have the best year of my career."
That's not an uncommon refrain from NFL players as they enter a season, but it's worth noting that Jones reached 19.92 mph on his sprint to the pylon for the touchdown, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, the third-fastest single-play speed by a running back in Week 1.
"This was a great way to start my journey with the Vikings," said Jones, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers.
Jones was 29 when he arrived in Minnesota, long past the prime of most running back careers. He looked fantastic in his final five games with the Packers, all of which included 100-yard rushing performances, but that came after he had missed five games because of various health issues. He approached the Vikings about developing a strategy for maintaining his performance level over a full season and was happy to learn that performance coaches already had sketched out a series of cards for him to carry and follow on a daily basis.
Much of it centered around doing what Jones called "pre-practice prep" for 30- 45 minutes before he steps on the field. In essence, it provides him an additional warmup and stretch that leaves him better prepared for the exertion of practice and makes it less likely he'll suffer a soft-tissue injury.
"As you get older as an athlete," he said, "you've got to do different things and add things to your regimen to be ready for when you step in. ... So that's been huge for me, and I hope to stay healthy all year long and show who I really am, like I was in the last five games [last season]."
Jones did much of his damage Sunday in the second half, accumulating 76 of his yards during the final two quarters as the Vikings put the game away. He demonstrated that he can still hit an open hole quickly, squeezing between left tackle Christian Darrisaw and left guard Blake Brandel and then breaking a second-level tackle for a 19-yard scamper. His vision and ability to slide into backside holes was also clear, as he showed on another 19-yard run when he cut back inside of blocks by fullback C.J. Ham and Darrisaw.
O'Connell left Jones on the field late in the game, hoping to see him eclipse 6,000 rushing yards for his career (he did) and 100 yards for the game (close). Ultimately, his 27 snaps represented a relatively light day. In Week 1, 45 NFL running backs played more than Jones. And his 16 total touches tied for No. 20 among running backs in Week 1.
"You make this change [going to Minnesota] and they take care of you," he said. "When we're working, we're working, but they will take care of you."