The Minnesota Vikings are dealing with plenty of injuries. With JJ McCarthy sidelined, the team will deploy Carson Wentz under center but that’s not the only backup who will have a prominent role in Week 3 game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, running back Jordan Mason will have a very important role in the game. Mason who is also a backup will be the likely workhorse of this offense. The starting running back Aaron Jones suffered a hamstring injury and was placed on IR.
Jones was the starter, but Mason impressed the Vikings’ coaching staff so much that he was still earning quite some reps. Mason was trending towards prominence, and with Jones sidelined, he gets the chance to get all the spotlight.
Mason’s stats show promise
Mason made his mark known in San Francisco. However, many have flourished under Kyle Shanahan’s scheme and then plummeted. That’s not the case of Mason, who is earning a reputation as a really good running back in the NFL.
Jordan Mason #27 of the Minnesota Vikings
As of now, Mason has 24 attempts for 98 yards, averaging 4.1 yards per attempt which is very good. Now, it’s time to see if he can keep that good an average with a much bigger workload.
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Vikings will have backups in both QB and RB
Mason will come in for Aaron Jones, and Wentz will be under center instead of JJ McCarthy. Now, Kevin O’Connell is a wonderful head coach and playcaller. Hence, he could be able to still produce a good gameplan despite having two backups out there on the field.
O’Connell will draw easy plays for Wentz to take care of the football. Mason will need to not fumble and use his explosiveness to run around the edges and earn big runs.
