‘Bruiser’ Jordan Mason lands more than a few blows for the Vikings against the Bengals

Jordan Mason rushing in a touchdown to turn the Vikings’ strong first half into a pummeling of the Cincinnati Bengals was fitting.

After all, the 26-year-old back is known as a bruiser. That was one of the reasons the Vikings acquired him from the San Francisco 49ers in March.

Given the handoff from quarterback Carson Wentz, Mason took the ball five yards up through the left-side A-gap and into the end zone. Bengals safety Geno Stone tried to grab him about two yards out, but Mason kept going, hopping and spinning to stay upright as he crossed the goal line before rolling onto the ground in the end zone, only to quickly pop back up in celebration.

“You guys can feel the power he runs with,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said after the game.

Mason was supposed to be just one half of what Justin Jefferson has described as a “killer combo” with veteran Aaron Jones.

But when Jones was put on injured reserve Wednesday because of a hamstring injury, the brunt of Sunday’s workload fell squarely on Mason.

The back O’Connell said had “bell-cow” potential delivered, rushing 16 times for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 48-10 victory over the Bengals.

Mason passed the 100-yard mark late in the third quarter on a 24-yard rush to top what ended as another Vikings scoring drive when T.J. Hockenson caught a 5-yard pass from Wentz.

Mason had some support from Zavier Scott, the former undrafted free agent who broke out in the preseason and got his first professional regular-season carries Sunday. He rushed eight times for 30 yards.

The Vikings also signed Cam Akers to their practice squad last week — marking the third consecutive year he was an in-season addition to the team — and elevated him for gameday duty for support. He had five carries late in the fourth quarter for 19 yards.

Akers said he and Mason trained together this past offseason in Houston, and the two meshed.

Akers was the most recent to use the word “bruiser” to describe Mason’s playing style when asked about it Friday. “He run hard, he block well,” Akers said. “Obviously, that’s why they paid him.”

Mason ricocheted off defenders all afternoon like a pinball, using them to try to help propel himself forward, likely delivering bruises while maybe taking a few of his own.

But Jones, speaking before his injury, said Mason’s off-field persona is different from his on-field one. He’s a laid-back, funny guy who always has a smile on.

Akers supported the read of Mason as a bit of a jokester, saying that’s “110 percent” why they clicked while training this summer and upon Akers’ arrival back in Minnesota.

“Unless he’s a little tired, then he’s a little quiet,” Jones said of Mason, which might explain why he is rarely seen in the locker room after practices or games.

That side of Mason complements, and maybe even allows for, his bruiser demeanor on the field.

“He’s just a guy that’s calm-hearted but just a fierce competitor,” Scott said. “You can see it in everything. We played cornhole last week, and you could just see it. No matter what we do. It’s special to have that, have those guys. They bring everyone around them up, and they make everyone around them better.”

The Vikings will need Mason to continue showing up as himself — the bruiser, the jokester, the fierce competitor — as they work their way through a two-week trip abroad and then a difficult four-week stretch back stateside that includes reigning champion Philadelphia and NFC North foe Detroit.

They could return fullback C.J. Ham, who’s on injured reserve because of a knee injury, against the Cleveland Browns in London on Oct. 5, but they won’t have Jones back until at least Week 8 against the Chargers in Los Angeles.

Wentz is expected to start again at quarterback next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin. He played capably Sunday, when the two phases of the offense were very much complementary.

Mason’s performance against the Bengals was emblematic of what the Vikings envisioned for him and their run game as a whole.