Aaron Jones ended 2023 after taking a punch to the face.
The Packers running back was caught straying while trying to “de-escalate” the situation after the Packers' 33-10 road win over the Vikings on “Sunday Night Football.”
After the game, Vikings cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., who was on hiatus with the Packers, was standing across from him when Jones walked up to him.
A Packers player shoved Booth, and Booth raised his arms.
His outstretched right hand connected with Jones' face.
Jones then grabbed Booth by the facemask and pushed him away, causing Packers receiver Malik Heath to punch Booth in the shoulder pad.
Tucker Craft and Jones continued to push Booth away before other Vikings intervened and created distance.
“As I went out to shake hands, I saw one of our players interacting with a Vikings player who had just finished playing. They got in each other's faces and started punching each other. . So I kind of tried it out,” Jones said in a postgame interview with NBC's Melissa Stark.
NBC's Cris Collinsworth praised Jones' handling of the situation.
“I give Aaron Jones credit for not throwing a ton of pitches and doing something that would have gotten him suspended or something, because there's something going on here. Blow it up after the game. Let's not do that,'' Collinsworth said.
Jones rushed for 120 yards on 20 touches against Green Bay's NFC North rival, playing a key role in determining the Packers' (8-8) postseason fate.
While Green Bay took a 23-3 halftime lead and cruised to victory, the Vikings played another quarterback carousel as rookie Jalen Hall fumbled.
The Packers are the No. 7 seed in the NFC and will qualify for the postseason if they beat the Bears at home in Week 18, but could miss the playoffs if they lose.
