The Minnesota Vikings may have been a little overzealous in their determination that second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy is ready to be an NFL starter. That's not to say he won't eventually live up to his lofty draft pedigree, though it's a work in progress. However, the club was right to identify running back Jordan Mason as a priority addition this past offseason, which the numbers support.
Mason was an analytics darling in his first three seasons as a pro with the San Francisco 49ers, albeit in a change-of-pace role. Many expected the 26-year-old's efficiency to regress with an increased workload in Minnesota. Yet, a graphic from Fantasy Points' Ryan Heath clearly outlines that it's been far from the case through three games.
Which RBs (+ their o-lines) are consistently creating positive plays, explosives, both, or neither?
— Ryan Heath (@RyanJ_Heath) September 24, 2025
- It's not his fault, but Chase Brown unfortunately seems destined for permanent bottom-left status
- Jordan Mason 🔥
- This is why Kyren Williams gets work:@FantasyPtsData pic.twitter.com/Y87hP0nNov
No one with at least 30 carries through Week 3 has simultaneously generated explosive runs and avoided getting stuffed at a higher rate than Mason. Most of his positional peers have done one of those two things well but not both. It speaks to the level of talent he has displayed in Minnesota, and the Vikings have needed every ounce of production from him.
Jordan Mason has been everything the Minnesota Vikings need and more
Minnesota's ability to sustain drives and put up points thus far in 2025 has largely fallen on Mason's shoulders. Fortunately for them, he's proven ready to step up and seize the opportunity. It's geniunely difficult to envision the Vikings fielding a formidable scoring unit sans him in the lineup.
Many were confused when the Vikings acquired Mason from the 49ers last March. After all, veteran tailback Aaron Jones was just coming off a 1,546-scrimmage-yard campaign. Minnesota has also been among the pass-happiest teams in the league since under Kevin O'Connell; knowing this, why give up draft capital for backfield help?
With the benefit of hindsight, Mason has been more of a necessity to the Vikings than the luxury many initially pegged him as. The dynamic but oft-injured Jones is already tending to a hamstring strain. Can you imagine what Minnesota's offense would look like right now if they didn't have the former?
Not to mention, McCarthy's struggles before suffering a high-ankle sprain in their Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons made Mason's presence imperative. Moving the ball through the air hasn't been as easy for the Vikings as we've become accustomed to seeing with O'Connell at the helm. They desperately needed a ground game to stay ahead of the sticks and complement their stout defense, which the latter has provided and then some.