Can the Vikings' ground game finally catch up to their NFC North rivals? A vital question looms for their 2026 aspirations.
The Minnesota Vikings (9-8) had significant problems on offense. And for many, the running game was the least of the team's concerns. Still one publication suggests that the Vikings' rushing attack needs to perform better for the team to make a run in 2026.
Jim Souhan of the "Minnesota Star Tribune" has a handful of questions for the Minnesota Vikings. The first and most obvious is how the team can get more out of the quarterback position. Yet out of the questions he has for the team, he shares that getting up to par with the rest of the NFC North at running back should be part of the team's focus in 2026.
Souhan wrote the following of what the Vikings need from the running game looking forward.
"A running game that matches up with the rest of the division. Aaron Jones Sr. remains versatile and Jordan Mason is a quality runner, but the Vikings running game can’t compare with those of their divisional peers.
The Bears invested heavily in their running game and won the division. The Packers rely heavily on power runner Josh Jacobs, and they made the playoffs. The Lions have the best back in the division in Jahmyr Gibbs, who made them Super Bowl contenders the previous two seasons before they fell out of contention because they didn’t run the ball as well.
The Vikings need to run the ball better and more often. They planned to do so this season but didn’t. In 2024, with Sam Darnold performing at a high level as quarterback, the Vikings ran the ball 45% of the time. In 2025, with three different quarterbacks mostly struggling, the Vikings ran the ball 46% of the time (if you round up.)"
Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason (27) runs for a gain against the Green Bay Packers during their football game Sunday, January 4, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesThere's no way around it: the Vikings simply did not have the dynamic play necessary at running back to mask what the team lacked at quarterback. Aaron Jones Jr. underwhelmed, and while Mason showed flashes of brilliance the consistency was not there in ground game explosion.
The two players' lack of wow factor cannot be written off as lack of effort. Minnesota running backs ran hard in 2025. They just fell short of consistently performing on the level of fellow NFC North foes. Certainly, that's a high bar. Albeit that's the measurement by which many are grading the team.
Minnesota has to get better in a handful of ways in 2026. And while running back is not the biggest concern it's one of them. The Vikings will look to improve at the position through the draft and free agency.