Jerick McKinnon is determined to get the Vikings’ running game rolling before the end of the exhibition season.

Minnesota averaged a weak 2.5 yards per rushing attempt against Cincinnati and Seattle. That’s been without Adrian Peterson, who hasn’t appeared a game yet, but McKinnon doesn’t want to wait until the Sept. 11 regular-season opener at Tennessee to see results.

“No cause for concern,” said McKinnon, a third-year running back. “We’ll come out here and work hard every day on that. We’ve got to keep practicing; there are some new things that we have in that we’re still working our way through, but for the most part, everybody’s doing great and everybody’s making progress.”

The Vikings finished with a quiet 70 yards on the ground (2.7 per carry) in last Thursday’s 18-11 win at Seattle.

“I think we did some really good things in the run game,” said Vikings coach Mike Zimmer. “It’s a work in progress, but there really is a lot of good things going on. Obviously, we’ve got to do better than two yards per carry, but it’s also opening up some things in the passing game as well.”

McKinnon has 29 yards on 14 carries (2.1 avg.) and one touchdown in the preseason. Undrafted rookie C.J. Ham leads the team with 60 yards on 20 attempts plus a touchdown, and Jhurell Pressley, Matt Asiata, Zach Line, and Kevin Monangai, who was waived Saturday, have combined for 41 yards.

“Of course, things aren’t going to look pretty all of the time,” McKinnon said. “Whether it’s game day or practice, it’s just a matter of coming out here and working on those things to get ready for the season, because at the end of the preseason, it all goes away and the real show begins.”

The Vikings invested heavily in their offensive line during the offseason, adding free agents Alex Boone and Andre Smith to help protect quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and bolster a running game that was fourth in the NFL last season (138.2 yards per game).

McKinnon, the Vikings’ third-round draft pick in 2014, doesn’t believe the subpar results from the first two preseason games reflect on the retooled offensive line or even how he and the rest of the running backs performed.

“We’re this close,” McKinnon said. “It’s just a matter of time before it hits and the coaches just want us to keep plugging away, and soon enough you get that big run. But we’ve got to make sure we get those 4- and 5-yard runs and get us in better second and third downs.”

McKinnon this season is resuming his role as Peterson’s backup. In two seasons, he’s chipped in 809 rushing yards and two touchdowns and — Vikings fans should knock on wood here — zero fumbles.

In addition to his value as a change-of-pace runner, McKinnon wants to be reliable in any situation. That’s why he typically stays 10 minutes after practices to work on catching passes and fine-tuning his pass blocking.

“That’s every day,” McKinnon said. “Doing the small things, making sure I put myself in good position. It’s all about me focusing and working on the things that coaches give me day in and day out and proving to them they can count on me.”