Vikings running back Aaron Jones departed Minnesota’s 23-17 victory over the Jets in the first quarter because of a hip injury, but coach Kevin O’Connell is hoping Jones won’t miss much time.
“Keeping my fingers crossed that that hopefully will be short term,” O’Connell told reporters at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Vikings, who improved Sunday to 5-0, have a bye in Week 6.
It was not immediately clear when Jones suffered the injury, but the last time he touched the ball was on a 24-yard catch during a wild stretch in the first quarter. Quarterback Sam Darnold had left the game with an injury of his own, and backup Nick Mullens fired a 24-yard pass toward Jones on a wheel route to convert a third-and-5.
The pass was a bit short, and Jones jumped to make the catch and came down hard. He was replaced on the next play by backup Ty Chandler, who fumbled a pitch from Darnold after the quarterback had just returned to the game.
Prior to his catch, Jones had rushed for 29 yards on seven carries. He has 350 yards this season in his first season with the Vikings after signing a one-year free agent contract this spring.