The Vikings have a pretty clean final injury report ahead of Sunday’s marquee NFC North showdown with the Lions at Ford Field.
Running back Aaron Jones (knee) didn’t practice on Wednesday, but he got in a limited session on Thursday and was a full participant on Friday. He has no game status designation this week. Jones and Jordan Mason will split carries in the Vikings’ backfield for the second straight week.
Right tackle Brian O’Neill, left guard Joe Huber (knee), and tight end Gavin Bartholomew (ankle) are also good to go after being listed on the injury report earlier this week.
The only player on the Vikings’ active roster with a game designation is depth safety Jay Ward, who is questionable with a knee injury. Ward, who has played 109 special teams snaps and just four on defense, is expected to play, head coach Kevin O’Connell said. He was a limited participant in Friday’s practice.
Jones was a workhorse for the Vikings while Mason was on injured reserve with a thumb issue from Weeks 2-5. He has 118 touches for 508 yards and two touchdowns this season, while playing through a sprained MCL. Mason returned to action last week and out-snapped Jones 38 to 15, although part of that was because Jones left early in the fourth quarter after taking a hit to his knee. Mason had 15 carries for 68 yards in his return.
“With the workload Aaron has had, we want to make sure (Mason) is a focal point for what we’re doing,” O’Connell said. “But at the same time, Aaron brings so much to our offense and he’s still gonna have a significant role. We’re in that world where it’s kind of by flow of the game, but we do want to make we’re operating with Jordan getting enough touches to get back in the flow of things and get in sync.”
O’Connell said he doesn’t believe Jones’ MCL injury will be something that lingers throughout the remainder of this season.
“I think he’ll be able to put it behind him at some point,” O’Connell said. “He was feeling really good coming out of the bye. Just kind of flamed up a little bit on him (last week). I think it’s something he’ll be able to put behind him as we go.”
This story will be updated when the Lions release their final injury report for the week.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Vikings section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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