The health of Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray is the biggest storyline to keep an eye on in Minnesota over the next week. However, that isn’t the only one who could be monumental to their success.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell also said that Jordan Mason is being evaluated with a sore thumb.
“Just with Jordan Mason, he came in with a little bit of a sore thumb,” O’Connell told reporters on Monday. “He’s actually being checked out [and] evaluated. Players just got out of meetings a little bit ago, so I’ll keep you guys updated on that as the week goes on.”
When asked if an X-Ray is necessary on Mason’s thumb, he later added, “We’ll get a picture of it just to see what’s going on there. There wasn’t much coming out of the game last night but he came in a little sore today.”
While it might not be a reason for significant concern right now, it would be if he were ruled out for any period of time. It’ll definitely be a situation to monitor at this point.
Jordan Mason Led The Team In Rushing Against Green Bay
The Vikings didn’t find much room to run against the Packers‘ stout run defense. Playing from behind for the first three quarters certainly didn’t help in that regard, but there still weren’t many running lanes to be taken advantage of.
Still, Mason performed better than his counterpart, Aaron Jones Jr. Some expected Jones to have a big game against his former team, but he, unfortunately, fell well short of those expectations, finishing the contest with only 40 yards off 12 carries (3.3 YPC).
Mason might not have been markedly better, but he still managed to gain 59 yards off his 15 attempts (good for 3.9 YPC). He also ripped off their most impressive run of the game with a 28-yard gallop on their go-ahead drive midway through the fourth quarter.
He will continue to be a major key to the Vikings’ rushing attack as long as he can remain healthy this season.
The Bears’ Run Defense Looked Much Improved Against The Panthers
Meanwhile, the Vikings travel to the Windy City to take on their divisional rivals in Chicago next week. While the Bears‘ offense garnered all the headlines in their 59-point Week 1 explosion (with good reason), their run defense also deserves their flowers for their 59-37 win over Carolina.
Sure, the Panthers ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns, but those stats don’t tell the full story. Carolina ran for 52 yards on their final drive of the game (when the outcome had already long been decided). Before they were mercifully looking to get the contest over with, the Panthers only had 73 yards on the ground.
The Bears’ rush defense struggled mightily last season, allowing the sixth-most rushing yards to opposing offenses, but it certainly looks the part through one game. If Kyler Murray is MIA for the matchup, then they’ll be counting on Mason and Jones to carry much of the load against Chicago.
That is, if Mason’s injury doesn’t keep him on the shelf for the NFC North clash.
Kyler Murray Wasn’t The Vikings’ Only Key Offensive Starter Who Got Hurt Against Packers