Inside The Vikings

Aaron Jones injured on uncalled hip-drop tackle by Lions' Jack Campbell

Jones limped off the field after a reception late in the first half on Thursday.
Will Ragatz|
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. (33) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. (33) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

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Vikings running back Aaron Jones suffered an apparent lower-body injury on what looked like a clear hip-drop tackle from a Lions defender late in the first half of Thursday's game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

With a little over 30 seconds left and the Vikings facing a 3rd and 16 after a sack, Max Brosmer checked the ball down underneath to Jones. Detroit linebacker Jack Campbell, in an effort to take Jones down, appeared to use the illegal "hip drop" technique, but no flag was thrown.

Jones was down on the field for a moment and then limped to the sideline with assistance. He came into the game dealing with an ankle injury over the last few weeks.

Update: Jones was able to return to the game early in the third quarter.

The NFL banned the hip-drop tackle prior to the 2024 season, citing an elevated rate of lower-body injuries to ballcarriers on the play. The league's definition is that "a hip-drop tackle occurs when a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto ball carrier's legs during the tackle." If called, it results in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down.

Despite the ban, there have been numerous instances where offensive players and coaches have felt like hip-drop tackles occurred but were not penalized in the moment. The Vikings were involved in one such instance earlier this season, when J.J. McCarthy suffered a high ankle sprain on what looked like a borderline hip-drop tackle by a Falcons defender in Week 2. McCarthy wound up missing five games, but the NFL didn't take any action either in the moment or after the fact.

We'll see if Jones is able to return to the game in the second half. Prior to the injury, he had 13 touches on 23 offensive plays for the Vikings. He ran 10 times for 37 yards and Minnesota's lone touchdown in the half, and also caught three passes for 10 yards.

The Vikings and Lions were tied 7-7 at halftime.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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