After just five carries in the 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the Minnesota Vikings took a gut punch with running back Aaron Jones having to leave the game with a hamstring injury. The workload switched over to Jordan Mason.
Jones' hamstring injury first resulted in him being ruled out of the Week 3 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. Then, NFL Media's Tom Pelissero shared on Tuesday that the Vikings were placing Jones on injured reserve, knocking him out for the next four games.
Minnesota's leading rusher in the loss would end up being Mason, who had nine carries for 30 yards and added two receptions for eight yards. It's the second consecutive game Mason was the leading rusher for the Vikings, as he had 68 yards in the season-opening win over the Chicago Bears.
The Vikings traded for Mason in the offseason involving multiple draft picks with the San Francisco 49ers. Originally, it was seen as a move for the future for the Vikings as they prepare for Jones potentially being done with football soon.
Jordan Mason's time with the Minnesota Vikings might have just arrived
Minnesota had the perfect combination in the backfield with Jones' speed and Mason's power, making for a great thunder and lightning duo. Jones hasn't particularly played well through two games, as Mason has been the superior back.
Last year with the 49ers, Mason showed glimpses of his potential to be a leading back after 789 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games. The most important stat? He's only lost one fumble of his 260 career carries in three NFL seasons.
The Vikings have a back who can be reliable with protecting the football and not drop it on the ground. He also averages 4.1 yards a carry on the season, so he will pick up those extra yards.
Mason will have training camp darling Zavier Scott as his backup after a solid preseason. Vikings fans can still expect Mason to get most of the carries in the backfield to try to alleviate the pressure from quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
The Vikings added another element to the backfield on Tuesday with the signing of Cam Akers. Akers is on his third stint with Minnesota and may not receive the same amount of touches as Mason or Scott, but he is familiar with Kevin O'Connell's system from their time together with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020 and 2021.
Depending on when Jones is back, whether that is in four games or longer, it could be a tough run without him, but if Mason breaks out as a star, at least the Vikings will have their back of the future already on the roster.