Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s drafts have produced mixed results, but he has made up for it with his pro acquisitions. Several of these players stood out in the first game of the season: Aaron Jones, Sam Darnold, and Jonathan Greenard. However, my favorite performance came from former Miami Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel.
On Sunday, Van Ginkel was an absolute force in Minnesota’s 28-6 victory over the New York Giants. His impact was consistently felt despite only playing 41 defensive snaps (58%). Surely, Brian Flores is ecstatic to have another versatile player to disguise his pressures and one with whom he has some familiarity from their Miami days.
Minnesota’s defense forced a three-and-out on New York’s first possession but was ushered right back onto the field following an early C.J. Ham fumble. Before long, the Giants were inside the 10-yard line, and the Vikings defense needed to make a stand to avoid allowing an early touchdown.
Cue the Gink Panther.
On second-and-goal, Giants head coach and offensive playcaller Brian Daboll ordered up a designed QB run for Daniel Jones. It may have gone for six if Van Ginkel didn’t come off of his block beautifully and absorb the contact to bring down Jones. AVG showed his ability to set the edge in the run game on multiple occasions.
On the following play (third-and-goal), Van Ginkel lined up over the right guard as Jones dropped back to throw. Jones broke out of the pocket to his left and Van Ginkel savvily worked back across the pocket to make what may have also been a touchdown-saving tackle. New York had to settle for a field goal.
It’s on plays like these that his mind for the game is allowed to shine. Former teammate Christian Wilkins called Van Ginkel the smartest player he’s ever worked alongside. Late in the third quarter, with the Vikings leading 21-6, the 29-year-old sealed the game with an omniscient pick-six. The quick WR screen is something he just has an instinct for sniffing out. He did the same thing to Sam Darnold in training camp, and to the Washington Commanders’ Sam Howell in 2023.
Throughout the game, he spent snaps lined up at both edge spots as well as over the B and even A gaps. A player who can do so many things well is key to disguising a defense. In the season opener, Van Ginkel dropped into coverage on 23% of pass plays and posted a 95.9 PFF pass-coverage grade, the highest in the NFL. The small sample size including a pick-six props the grade up significantly, but he was always in the right spot even when he wasn’t scoring touchdowns.
He finished with:
- 4 total tackles
- 1 pass deflection
- 1 sack
- 1 INT
- TD
- 2 QB hits
- 90.6 overall PFF Grade
Van Ginkel has been a high-quality player for several seasons in the NFL and was particularly effective in 2023. If Week 1 was any indication, we can expect him to contribute at a very high level.
