The Vikings’ Jones capped the day with a game-winning touchdown

MINNEAPOLIS – One of the NFL’s most reliable running backs caused a sudden increase in turnovers, and it’s hard to believe what happened next: Aaron Jones was benched Sunday after his second fumble in the first quarter.

Jones returned to the field primarily for passing plays and then was given two chances to score a winning touchdown. He converted the second chance with 1 minute and 13 seconds left, capping one of the strangest games of his career.

The former Green Bay Packers’ 5-yard scoring reception capped the Minnesota Vikings’ comeback, and Parker Romo’s extra point made the difference in a 23-22 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

“It’s been a roller coaster ride for me,” Jones said. “Grateful for the guys in that locker room who told me to keep my head up. (Coach Kevin O’Connell) too. He said, ‘Hey, we’ll get back to you. Keep your head up’ and in the end it happened at the most important time.”

Jones entered this season with a total of 15 fumbles for 1,660 touchdowns in his career from 2017 to 2023, all with the Packers. But he has now fumbled four times in 49 touches in three games with the Vikings, losing two of them.

In Week 10, Jones suffered a rib injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars and wore extra protective gear around his upper body – which can make it more difficult to secure the ball to his body.

But he said Sunday: “I’m not going to make an excuse” for what happened in the last three weeks.

Right tackle Brian O’Neill recovered Jones’ first fumble at the end of his opening play, but Cardinals cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting fell on his next fumble as Jones struggled to fend off a checkdown throw from quarterback Sam Darnold.

O’Connell replaced him with backup Cam Akers and No. 3 running back Ty Chandler got five snaps and two carries before Jones got his next rushing attempt in the third quarter.

From that point on, however, Jones scored as many goals (two) in the passing game as he took shots (two). He dropped a pass in the end zone that would have given the Vikings a lead early in the fourth quarter, but O’Connell said he already had a play in mind for him if the Vikings got another opportunity.

“If anything, I have complete confidence in Aaron,” O’Connell said. “You can see the disappointment he feels all over his face. We have to find a way to fix the problem because it has happened too many times that the ball ended up on the ground at the start of a game. This is like a huge momentum play.

“But there’s a reason I called the play I called at the end. He is one of our best players. He will continue to be one of our best players and there isn’t a man in the locker room who doesn’t. “I love playing with Aaron Jones, without hesitation or question.

In fact, Jones said O’Connell told him that “we’ll come right back to you” as he left the field after dropping the earlier pass in the end zone.

So when the Vikings faced a 2nd-and-2 on the Cardinals’ fifth play, O’Connell chose a play that would have Jones as a prime target. Then Jones intercepted Darnold’s pass in the right flat and scampered into the end zone.

“That just means a lot when things don’t go the way you want them to,” Jones said of O’Connell’s words. “That wasn’t my best day. It probably wasn’t my part of the day. … (But) he tells me that he has always believed in me and always has confidence in me, and he just reiterated it there. It gives you a little boost when things aren’t going your way.

The win increased the Vikings’ record to 10-2 on the season and helped them move into a tie with the Detroit Lions for first place in the NFC North heading into a Week 14 game against the Atlanta Falcons.