In his Minnesota Vikings debut, Aaron Jones fell just six yards short of hitting 100 for his sixth straight game.
He appreciated head coach Kevin O’Connell trying to get him there, but he’s aiming to start a new streak this week against the San Francisco 49ers.
“We’ll get it this week and the weeks following,” Jones said Wednesday.
In his first game as a Viking, Jones looked as dangerous as ever, rushing for 94 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, good for an average of 6.71 yards per carry.
Jones had posted three consecutive 100-yard games to end the 2023 regular season and back-to-back 100-yard playoff tilts in what were his final games with the Green Bay Packers.
Amid a 28-6 blowout Sunday against the New York Giants, Jones saw Myles Gaskin trotting in to take over before he was called back.
“I really respect Kev for that,” Jones said. “He left me in there. I seen Myles about to run in. It was kind of special to me. The players know coach, they know KOC, because they see Myles about to come in and then he stops and goes back off the field and they look at me and they’re like, ‘You must be close to a hundred, he’s gonna let you get hundred.’
Quarterback Sam Darnold then filled Jones in that he was going to get one more carry to hit 100. He ultimately came up short, gaining just a yard on his final carry, but was grateful for the chance afforded to him.
“I didn’t get it, but just to have that opportunity, a lot of people wouldn’t do that,” Jones said, “so I'd like to thank coach for that, that was special.”
As a focal point of a blowout win against the Giants, Jones figures to see a far tougher road ahead when he makes his Vikings home debut against the 49ers. Though he’s striving for another 100-yard effort, he was sure to tip his helmet to the reigning NFC champions.
“They’re the standard, they’re the defending conference champs, so that’s the standard, that’s where every other team in this league is trying to get to,” Jones said. “So, I like to give them their respect.”
San Francisco is coming off a Monday night win over the New York Jets in which it held the Gang Green rushing attack to a mere 68 yards, with star runner Breece Hall bottled up for just 54 yards on 16 carries (3.4 yards per carry).
Still, Jones was all smiles on Wednesday and very much optimistic of beginning a rushing streak anew starting Sunday.
Over his seven seasons with Green Bay, Jones played the 49ers on seven occasions -- four in the regular season and thrice in the playoffs. He’s topped 100 rushing yards just once against them, but it was the last time he played them. It was the Packers’ season-ending defeat last season in the Divisional Round, which brought to a halt Jones’ time with Green Bay.
Now, he’ll be looking to start a fresh run of 100-yard outings against the last defense he had one against.
Said Jones: “Hopefully I get 16 in a row.”