Vikings running back Aaron Jones took a helmet to the ribs and felt some pain in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over the Jaguars. He stayed downstairs for a moment and then headed to the blue medical tent on the bench. Jones appeared ready to return to the game after that, but then the FOX broadcast showed him being carted off the field.

As it turned out, they were simply taking him for x-rays.

“The only reason they took me out was because the X-ray machine was on the other side of the stadium.” Jones told Kay Adams on Monday. “If it weren’t for that, they wouldn’t have taken me.”

After X-rays showed no damage, he was able to return and handle four carries in the final minutes of the Vikings’ victory. Jones finished the game with 101 yards from scrimmage on 19 touches.

“I thought the initial blow had broken something,” he said, through the star tribune. “But I’m fine.”

“Tough player,” Kevin O’Connell said. “He was able to catch his breath, it was one of those things, and once he was able to go, he was eager to get back in.”

It looks like Jones should be fine for next Sunday’s game against the Titans. That’s good news for the Vikings, considering how impressive the former Packers running back has been in his first season with Minnesota. Jones is up to 911 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in nine games, putting him on pace for a career-high in yards if he can stay healthy over the final eight weeks.

“A little bit of pain, but mentality is everything,” Jones said after the game. “I feel strong. I feel like a lot of people would have left, but it’s about these guys in this locker room. That’s why I came back out.”