The Vikings have been trying to find an offensive spark at running back to help out Jones, who has been playing through a knee injury.
Instead, the backups haven't been able to rise to the occasion, and it has forced Jones into a bell-cow role . Meanwhile, Claiborne has played 23 offensive snaps in Minnesota's first four games this season. He has turned that into seven touches for 15 yards while averaging 2. 2 yards per rushing attempt. That type of production will not earn him a bigger role, especially when he isn't contributing much as a blocker, either.
While the running game at times felt like it wasn't gaining consistent yardage, Aaron Jones ended up ripping off three carries of 10+ yards. The success came largely out of the shotgun, where we saw the Vikings practice often during the summer with Murray at quarterback. The team's run guru Frank Smith came from a system that worked from the shotgun and had some creative blocking schemes. The Vikings only have to manage one more game without Jordan Mason until he comes off IR. Overall, their run game has survived. If they can carry over more of the shotgun run stuff into New Orleans, they can get enough to keep things moving on the ground....Credit to Demond Claiborne: He had his first successful run for an 8-yard gain. But he only saw three rushes and DeeJay Dallas didn't see the field.
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