Aaron Jones Sr. left the Minnesota Vikings’ 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, October 25, after taking a hit on the knee that had already been bothering him this season, and head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed afterward that it was the same knee.
The setback lands on a running back who carried the offense through a 5-0 start. He had been managing a sprain of the MCL in his left knee for weeks, so the question for the coming week is whether Sunday’s hit made that sprain worse or simply flared it up. The Vikings have not given a diagnosis or a timeline.
How it happened
The play came just after the fourth quarter began: Kyler Murray tossed the ball on an option and Jones raced 17 yards up the sideline before a low hit brought him down. He limped to the sideline, was examined by the medical staff and hit the bench in frustration. The club listed him as questionable to return, and he did not play again. Late in the game he was still on the sideline in his helmet, with a brace on his left knee.
Jones finished with eight carries for 26 yards and one catch. He played 29 percent of the offensive snaps, a smaller share than usual, because Jordan Mason was back.
Ben Goessling reported O’Connell’s postgame update on Jones and two other players:
Aaron Jones’ injury was to the same knee he’s been dealing with earlier this year, Kevin O’Connell said. Jordan Addison was called in for a concussion evaluation, but cleared it, and O’Connell called it a stinger for Myles Price.
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) October 25, 2026
Addison and Price
Jordan Addison was taken in for a concussion evaluation and passed it, O’Connell said. The coach described Myles Price’s issue as a stinger, not a head injury. Both are likely to appear on the team’s first injury report of the week.
The backfield without Jones
Mason’s return could not have been better timed. He broke his thumb in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers and was back for the first time on Sunday, taking 15 carries for 68 yards and 63 percent of the snaps. Jones came into the week with 410 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, averaging about 4.2 yards a carry, and 72 receiving yards. If he has to sit, Mason becomes the lead back for a team built on defense and ball control.
The defense did the heavy lifting again against Indianapolis. Blake Cashman had 12 tackles and two sacks, Daniel Jones was sacked four times, and Harrison Smith ended the game with his 40th career interception. The Colts finished with injuries of their own: two of their defensive backs, Justin Walley with a knee problem and Cam Taylor-Britt with a groin problem, went out after halftime.
What comes next
The first official look at Jones’ status comes with Wednesday’s practice report. Minnesota visits the Detroit Lions on Sunday, November 1, at 1:00 p.m. EST. The full league list is on the WhyNFL injury report.
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