Help Is on the Way for the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have struggled recently, culminating in the horrendous outing they put on last Thursday, when Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers dismantled the team on national television. Next on the docket are the Detroit Lions, a nearly unbeatable opponent for the purple franchise in the past three years.
Help Is on the Way for the Vikings
Excellent news arrived on Wednesday, as second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler Andrew Van Ginkel was a full participant in practice after missing the last four games with a neck injury.
The defender got some limited work for a couple of weeks but hadn’t cleared the full-practice hump prior to Wednesday.
Last week, head coach Kevin O’Connell said about his star player, “He’s a guy that’s been able to continuously get the limited work on the practice field to try to continue to stay sharp as he tries to get back into a place to be available to us. I’m encouraged by the fact that we’ve got a little bit more time this week and how Gink can possibly turn over. And when he’s available and we can get him back out there, he’s one of those guys that is a critical part of how we want to play defense.”
A critical part, indeed, Van Ginkel was a player Brian Flores wanted to have in last year’s free agency, and he hit the ground running in the Twin Cities in what surely was his breakout season. Ultimately, he made 79 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, and famously, two pick-sixes.
After his debut season in purple, Van Ginkel received a one-year contract extension with a significant raise. He’s under contract through the 2026 campaign.
“So, when we can make that happen, and when that happens, will be a huge boost for us,” O’Connell added. “Don’t really have an update right now on that for next week in any kind of concrete way, but my hope is that we get to see Gink sooner rather than later, for sure.”
It did not initially sound like a return was imminent, but two days later, the arrow is clearly pointing up, and a Sunday return could be in the cards. After practice, Van Ginkel revealed that his goal is a return against the Lions.
Van Ginkel suffered a neck injury in training camp, but was able to return in time to suit up in Week 1. However, a concussion suffered in that game re-aggravated his neck injury, he revealed after Wednesday’s practice. The defender gave it a go in Week 3, but only lasted eight snaps in the blowout win against the Bengals.
In those eight snaps, he showed his skills, dropping Jake Browning twice. Van Ginkel is a major piece in Flores’ defense, as he can rush and drop like few others in football. The defense has been a big-time let-down recently, but with Van Ginkel’s return, they would be running out of excuses. He’s the one missing starter, as Blake Cashman returned a couple of weeks ago.
Once he returns to the lineup, the trio of him, Dallas Turner, and Jonathan Greenard would give Flores more versatile defensive options. Having all three edge defenders on the field at the same time could give offenses fits, especially because Van Ginkel and Turner are so versatile.
Jared Goff would likely be more comfortable without seeing the 30-year-old’s blond hair in his pre-snap observations.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.