Vikings lean on their running backs as J.J. McCarthy struggles again

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, walking the locker room talking with teammates after Sunday’s 19-17 loss to the Chicago Bears, approached the trio of running backs Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason and fullback C.J. Ham packing up at their lockers.

He gave a low-five, handshake combo — like a dap up — to each, accompanied by a verbal expression of his gratitude.

As he walked away, Jones called after him. He wanted the young quarterback to know he’s proud of him. He repeated the message, doubling down after another tough day for McCarthy.

“If something doesn’t go right, just be there for him and let him know: ‘Hey, we got your back. Stick with it, ‘cause we need you,’” Jones said right after the interaction. “He stuck with it and just ended up leading us down there, scoring and we went up. ... I’m proud of him. He’s gonna continue to battle. He’s going to continue to get more and more reps and get better.”

McCarthy’s struggles continued in his fifth start under center for the Vikings. He completed only 16 passes on 32 attempts for 150 yards and a touchdown. He threw two interceptions, bringing his season total to eight.

With the passing game production low, the Vikings leaned more heavily on the running game than they have most of the season. Jones carried a season-high 16 times, nearly double his previous season best, for 70 yards, and Mason six times for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Their combined 115 yards are the most the pair has accounted for in the six games they’ve both been available; Jones missed four games because of a hamstring injury.

The Vikings rushed to start all but two of their 12 drives. They had 15 rushes on first downs, six on second downs and converted an early third-and-short with a 2-yard rush, one of just three third-down conversions on the day.

“I was proud of the way we ran the ball,” O’Connell said after the game. “Tried to stick with it as much as we could.”

Both Jones and Mason had at least one double-digit run play, with Mason’s being the 16-yard touchdown he scored early in the fourth quarter to make it a one-score game.

Jones complimented the Vikings offensive line, which was dinged only once for a false start on Christian Darrisaw after eight early jumps the previous game, and said he’s aiming to turn more of his short-yardage runs into double-digit rushes in future games.

The Vikings have still managed to rattle off occasional explosive plays through the air, like a second-quarter 27-yard connection between McCarthy and wide receiver Justin Jefferson, the longest pass play of the game.

That’s going to take commitment from O’Connell as a play caller, but building a solid run game is a relatively easy way to relieve pressure on a young quarterback.

Watch the postgame Access Vikings:

The Vikings visit Lambeau Field on Sunday for their first meeting this season with the Packers, for whom Jones played for seven seasons.

Jones was there when Green Bay passed the torch from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers to youngster Jordan Love, who took over the starting role full-time in 2023 in his third year with the team.

Jones said working with a young quarterback like Love or McCarthy means getting to know the person first before the player.

Though he missed six games in 2023 because of injury, Jones had 142 carries for 656 yards in support of Love. The Packers rushed on 41.9% of plays en route to a 9-8 finish that season.

“You feel like you’re not kind of leading them but helping them, trying to make their job easier,” Jones said. “I feel like that’s what kind of my job is for him and everybody else here. Just to make their job easier.”