Andrew Van Ginkel and Harrison Smith's Return Changed the Game Defensively For Minnesota

The Minnesota Vikings routed the Cincinnati Bengals 48-10 last Sunday afternoon. In a game where there was an emphasis on bouncing back from a 22-6 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons the week before, the defense showed out in record-breaking ways.

Isaiah Rodgers had two defensive touchdowns and three forced turnovers. However, Harrison Smith and Andrew Van Ginkel's return to the field was the catalyst for the stifling defensive performance.

Smith and Van Ginkel's return brought juice to the overall execution of the defense that was not seen in the first two weeks of the season. Although Minnesota's defense did all it could to keep the offense in the game during the loss to the Falcons, the pass rush left something to be desired.

Enter Andrew Van Ginkel.

Van Ginkel is a pivotal part of this pass rush's success due to his ability to track the quarterback. When you have an All-Pro edge rusher like Jonathan Greenard on the opposite end, there will be ample opportunities to complement his initial disruption.

We saw this last Sunday, with Greenard winning his battles with Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. outright, and Van Ginkel looping around the middle of the line to finish the rep with a sack. To put Van Ginkel’s efficiency in perspective, he played only eight snaps and had two sacks.

That's a classic Brian Flores look, as shown above. He shows a cover zero with an all-out blitz on the line. The Vikings will pull out of this look right before the snap, now only rushing four. This creates confusion for the opposing offensive line, allowing Van Ginkel to stunt inside through the middle of the line and wreak havoc. Van Ginkel elevates the play of the rushers around him, and Greenard reaps the benefits.

We didn't see much of this during the loss against the Falcons in Week 2. There wasn't that same pop, or exotic nature for that matter, with the defense's pressure packages. As long as Van Ginkel is on the field, everyone's job becomes a little easier when it comes to getting to the quarterback, a philosophy that this unit prioritizes.

Above is the all-22 view of that play that shows what the secondary is doing pre-snap. The communication and focus required to execute this many pre-snap shifts on defense are among the most challenging aspects of playing football. Harrison Smith made his season debut against Cincinnati, which undoubtedly affects how well the Vikings can pull this off.

Isaiah Rodgers' historic defensive performance started with his 87-yard pick-six in the first quarter, thanks to Harrison Smith tipping the ball. The tip comes as a result of Smith lurking downfield, getting a feel for the coverage, and following Jake Browning's eyes.

The tight end is Smith's initial assignment, and once he passes him off, he looks for the crossing route. Once he realizes Browning is under pressure and rolling to his right, he reads the quarterback's eyes and makes a play on the ball, leading to Rodgers getting his hands on it. Paul Allen takes care of the rest.

Smith's veteran presence alone provides an invaluable asset to this unit, which is sorely missed when he's off the field. He has an understanding of the space on the field that is second to none among defensive backs and safeties, especially with work where he needs to be up at the line of scrimmage.

Knowing he would occupy the slot wide receiver, leading to a gap between the slot and the opposing left tackle, Smith literally pushed Ivan Pace Jr. into a position to make a play that resulted in a tackle for a loss. A savvy veteran presence always elevates teammates.

Coming into the season, Minnesota's defense had enough talent to strike fear into the opposition. Slowly but surely, the unit is becoming healthier, enabling it to execute at a high level. The next challenge presents a familiar face in an unfamiliar setting, with the Vikings defense looking to build off a strong game against Cincinnati with they face off with Aaron Rodgers in Dublin, Ireland.