Veteran Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones greatly is admired by 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
Shanahan has watched Jones shine over his eight-year NFL playing career and the two have had their fair share of duels when the running back was with the Green Bay Packers.
San Francisco’s Week 2 matchup with Minnesota at U.S. Bank Stadium has Shanahan focused on shutting Jones down. However, the coach gave the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl selection his flowers in the latest episode of NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Game Plan” with Greg Papa.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“Aaron, out of anybody, is the guy I probably compare to Christian [McCaffrey] the most,” Shanahan told Papa. “He’s a big threat in the passing game. He’s a guy that’s hard to cover. He has good hands. He’s route savvy. But when it comes to his running style, he’s very natural, always hits the right hole, has very good vision. But you have to tackle him. There’s no -- you’re on him and he sees other people coming to hit him and he goes down. He is running through everything.
“And if you don’t have a couple guys hitting him solid, he’s going to break through that stuff and bounce off. He’s a guy who shows up all day [and] can do anything -- someone, you better be on and never go to sleep against. Because if you’re coming for a light tackle, he’s not letting you tackle him; he’s trying to rip through that every time.”
Calling Minnesota’s star one of the closer comparisons to McCaffrey is quite the compliment. San Francisco’s star is the reigning AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year and has 10,505 career yards from scrimmage.
But Shanahan, more than most coaches, knows what Jones is capable of. Shanahan has faced Jones seven -- yes, seven -- times, including the playoffs, since the running back entered the league in 2017 with the Packers.
San Francisco 49ers
So far, Jones has collected 6,034 yards on the ground and 2,091 through the air throughout his career. He still is pumping his legs, having just run for 94 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries in the Vikings’ 28-6 Week 1 win over the New York Giants.
Sunday’s matinee will be a tough challenge for the 49ers, and Shanahan knows that Jones’ offensive prowess is a big reason why.
Shanahan must put his fandom on pause as he did in Week 1 with his close friend and New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast