Inside The Vikings

Pat Jones DNP, Aaron Jones limited on Vikings' first playoff injury report

Defensive tackle Taki Taimani could make his return this week.
Will Ragatz|
Oct 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) runs the ball against Los Angeles Rams cornerback Darious Williams (24) during the second half at SoFi Stadium.
Oct 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) runs the ball against Los Angeles Rams cornerback Darious Williams (24) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

Outside linebacker Pat Jones II did not practice on Thursday, indicating he could be out again this week for the Vikings' wild card playoff game against the Rams. Jones suffered a knee injury against the Packers in Week 17 and missed last Sunday's game against the Lions.

Without Jones, rookie Dallas Turner played 25 snaps in Detroit as the Vikings' No. 3 OLB behind Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. Fellow rookie Gabriel Murphy was elevated from the practice squad and played seven snaps. Jones will need to make progress over the next couple days if he's going to have a chance to return to action on Monday night.

The only other Vikings player who wasn't a full participant in Thursday's practice was running back Aaron Jones, who was listed as limited with a quad injury. He played in all 17 games this season and spoke to the media after practice on Thursday as he does every week. The Vikings have managed the veteran RB's workload in practice as he's dealt with some nicks and bruises this season, but there's currently no reason to think Jones is in any danger of missing this upcoming game.

Jones, who spent his first seven seasons with the Packers, has 713 yards from scrimmage and 8 touchdowns in seven career playoff games. That includes a pair of 100-yard rushing performances in last year's postseason.

Quarterback Sam Darnold (quad) was listed on the injury report as a full participant.

In other news, rookie defensive tackle Taki Taimani had his practice window opened on Thursday and was listed as a full participant. The 330-pound Taimani made the Vikings' roster out of training camp and played 70 defensive snaps before landing on IR with an ankle injury after Week 8. He could potentially be activated to play on Monday night.

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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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