If you didn’t know who Andrew Van Ginkel was heading into Week 1 of the season, you probably do now.
The only thing Van Ginkel was known for, or if you’d heard of him before this week, was because he was featured on “Hard Knocks” last year with the Miami Dolphins.
And if you still don’t know him, it won’t take many more performances like the one he had on Sunday before you do.
Van Ginkel, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings this offseason, impressed in his debut on Sunday at MetLife Stadium and paced a defensive effort that embarrassed the New York Giants.
Here’s what you need to know about Van Ginkel and the rest of the upstart Vikings defense.
Andrew Van Ginkel Torments Daniel Jones
The Vikings lost edge rusher Danielle Hunter this past offseason, as he signed with the Houston Texans in free agency.
But Minnesota didn’t stand pat. In fact, if what happened in their first game is any indication, the Vikings may have improved their pass rush with the comings and goings of free agency in 2024.
Yes, Hunter and his 87.5 career sacks as a Viking are gone. But added to the mix are Jonathan Greenard, who left the place Hunter joined (Houston Texans), rookie Dallas Turner, who was taken with the No. 17 overall pick in the draft, and Van Ginkel.
Of the three, Van Ginkel came with the least fanfare. He also had a foot injury, which he sustained in the final game of 2023 and kept him from practicing until training camp.
Although Van Ginkel came to the Vikings with the least fanfare of the three new edge rushers, he left his first game with his new team as a household name in Minnesota thanks to a box score-filling performance that left Daniel Jones and the Giants’ offense flummoxed.
Van Ginkel’s impact began on the second series of the game and never stopped from that point forward.
The Giants began their second series on the Vikings’ 20-yard line following a turnover. Five plays into the drive, it was second-and-goal from the 6, and on a designed run, Jones was met by Van Ginkel and stopped for a gain of just 1 yard.
On the very next snap, Jones again attempted to use his legs to gain yards, and he appeared headed to the end zone. Van Ginkel closed on Jones quickly, though, and brought him down for no gain. The drive was thwarted.
Van Ginkel made three more stops in the first half.
Then, on the first play of the second series in the second half, Van Ginkel was rushing Jones from the left outside linebacker position. He stopped his rush and left his feet to block Jones’ passing lane, and Jones threw the ball right to him. Van Ginkel quickly sprinted to the end zone for a touchdown that gave the Vikings a 28-6 lead.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell could hardly contain his glee in talking about his new linebacker after the game on Sunday.
“I know sometimes I try to give you guys as much clarity on a player’s role as possible,” O’Connell said when asked about Van Ginkel’s role on Sunday. “That’s a really hard one to do. It’s not only just the impactful plays that touch the stat sheet. It’s really just the feel, the presence, the confidence. He’s a major part of the communication.
“We can overload him so other people can play fast around him. I had a joke with him when we first signed him that I expected him to find the end zone this year. I did not know it was going to be the first game, which was pretty spectacular.”
KOC on Van Ginkel: pic.twitter.com/uHQ3bdJdRq
— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) September 8, 2024
Dallas Turner Records Sack in First NFL Game
In the first game of the 2024 regular season, Turner recorded his first career sack.
The Vikings were up 14-3 with just 26 seconds to play in the second quarter. But with possession on their own 41, the Giants planned to sneak into field goal range.
Those plans fell through, though, when Turner challenged Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas with an outside rush move before changing direction and looping underneath teammate Jihad Ward and meeting Jones in the backfield.
The Giants called a timeout and then ran two more offensive plays, but the Turner sack effectively ended New York’s hopes of a late score.
It should be noted that Turner also recorded a sack and another quarterback hit in his preseason debut, so the Alabama product is certainly having no trouble acclimating to the pro game.
Stephon Gilmore, Rebuilt Cornerback Corps Shut Down Malik Nabers and Co.
A more thorough review is needed to determine just how effective the Vikings’ secondary was in coverage, but given that New York failed to score a touchdown, allowed four sacks, completed just 52.3% of its passes, and generated only 166 net passing yards, it’s safe to assume Minnesota’s defensive backs did a sound job.
This is an important development for the Vikings’ defense because Minnesota’s cornerback depth chart was under significant construction as late as the end of this past July.
Tragedy and injury ravaged the team’s talent and depth level, which resulted in the Vikings signing four free agents and making trades at the start of training camp.
The crown jewel acquisition within that flurry of activity was the signing of free agent Stephon Gilmore, a former first-rounder and two-time All-Pro who is a Super Bowl winner and was the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year.
While Gilmore may not be in the same form as when he earned many of those accolades, he’s certainly in good enough form to positively impact the Vikings’ defense.
On Sunday, Gilmore led a group of cornerbacks against No. 6 overall pick Malik Nabers and a respectable group of pass catchers that also includes Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton. That trio combined for 136 receiving yards and no touchdowns on 23 targets, a relatively low rate of efficiency.
What To Expect from the Vikings’ Defense Moving Forward
The combination of pressure from the defensive front and coverage from the back end should leave the Vikings feeling optimistic about their season-opening performance on defense. Even more, the Vikings authored the effort while on the road.
The Vikings will fly back to Minnesota on Sunday knowing its next two games will be at home. At the same time, the Vikings’ next two opponents offer a far more significant challenge than the Giants’ offense presented.
Next week, the Vikings welcome the San Francisco 49ers, who feature the best all-around running back in the NFL in Christian McCaffrey, and two top-notch wide receivers in Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. And that’s not even to mention the presence of George Kittle, a five-time Pro Bowl and two-time All-Pro.
The following week, it’ll be the Houston Texans who come to U.S. Bank Stadium. Aside from reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback C.J. Stroud and receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell, the Texans now feature running back Joe Mixon and former Vikings star Stefon Diggs.
The new-look Vikings defense played fast and furious in New York on Sunday, and they’ll fly home to Minnesota feeling confident and anxious to do it again. The next two times out, though, the degree of difficulty rises, and the margin for error decreases.