Aaron Jones injury update: Vikings RB leaves game vs. Jaguars on cart, returns

Part of the reason the Minnesota Vikings have had one of the best teams in the NFC despite some volatile play from quarterback Sam Darnold is their plethora of skill position players. The receivers get the love, but running back Aaron Jones has done a fine job in his own right.

The Vikings were leaning on Jones to get back into their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. After three different Darnold interceptions forced them to lean on the backs, Jones was knocked out of commission by a big hit that immediately got the Vikings' training staff interested in No. 33.

Jones went down with quite a nasty injury and needed to be carted off the field. Luckily, Jones was able to come back in after being diagnosed with a chest injury. No matter what happened, it seems like Jones is right as rain to stay in the contest.

Aaron Jones injury update: Vikings RB carted off field, returns

Jones had averaged 4.5 yards per carry and was on pace for another 1,000-yard season before this game. With Kevin O'Connell's offense relying on a strong ground game, the Vikings will be much worse for wear on that side of the ball without him.

As has been shown against teams like the Jets, the downgrade from Jones to Ty Chandler makes a noticeable impact on the running game. Even against a bad Jacksonville defense, losing the skill Jones brings to the table as both a runner and receiver would have been a very serious problem.

Minnesota will likely lean on Chandler primarily if Jones is limited in the near future. Cam Akers got a ton of looks in this game, but he didn't manage a run better than seven yards against a very beatable Jaguars interior defensive line.

The Vikings have enough coaching acumen and overall depth to make up for the loss of Jones, even for a few games. However, there would have been a downturn in overall offensive crispness. With how tight the race for the top of the NFC can be, this is certainly good news for the Vikings offense.