Should Andrew Van Ginkel Be In the Defensive Player Of the Year Discussion?

The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Tennessee Titans last Sunday by playing more cohesively on both ends of the ball than they had since the bye week. The offense punched it in for three scores thanks to an uptick in production from Sam Darnold.

However, Minnesota's defense was the driving force in their 23-13 win. Aside from giving up a 98-yard touchdown to Will Levis, they played sound football and kept the game from getting close. Ultimately, the Vikings won their eighth game and started to reestablish their identity.

Fans were tentatively excited once they realized how much cap space the Vikings had this year. Letting Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter go came with some emotional baggage, but it led to the Vikings acquiring key pieces that define the strengths of the team's defensive identity.

We know about edge rusher Jonathan Greenard's career year, which includes 48 pressures and seven sacks. The same can be said for linebacker Blake Cashman and his stellar job commanding this Brian Flores-led operation. However, Andrew Van Ginkel made history last Sunday while proving why he may be one of the most significant free-agent signings in franchise history.

In Nashville, Van Ginkel had two sacks and eight tackles, three for a loss, becoming the third player in NFL history to have multiple pick-sixes and at least eight sacks. We are only a game over halfway through the season.

Van Ginkel's career year and immediate impact give the Vikings a unique element. With game-breaking ability combined with a relentless intelligence of rush discipline, Van Ginkel has been wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks through his first 10 games in purple.

Brian Flores thrives on overloading quarterbacks with information at the line of scrimmage that misleads quarterbacks on coverage and offensive linemen on who their assignment is. The punk rock, hyper-aggressive attitude ensures chaos pre-snap. Often, when the Vikings have seven or more players on the line, the other team's offensive line intentionally slides protection toward Van Ginkel's side.

That's significant because Van Ginkel can also make an impact in coverage. He can hop step out of rushing, which frees up an unmarked Pat Jones or Jonathan Greenard on the other side, leaving the dual-centered opposing tackle and guard with a tough decision. The decoy creates a net positive before the quarterback calls for the snap because Van Ginkel is also an effective pure pass rusher.

On a Titans third down at the end of the first half, the Vikings got home to Levis while only sending four. Van Ginkel shrugs off the chipping tight end, side-swipes the right tackle, and provides a sack to get the defense off the field. You know you're watching a special player when they can get home that fast on a four-man rush, and there's a designated chip and sit coming their way. The speed and agility to navigate this look were off the charts.

The Vikings held Tennessee to 33 total rush yards because of the interior defensive line's incredible performance. Jihad Ward, Harrison Phillips, and Jerry Tillery dominated the trenches. Anything that Tennessee tried to run in terms of the outside zone was non-existent. Not many tight ends or right tackles can pick up Van Ginkle before he impacts the play.

It's a selfless type of play that also makes Van Ginkel so disruptive. He frequently generated speed off the line of scrimmage to take the pulling guard out of the picture, leaving running backs without their lead blocker while the rest of the defensive unit came to clean house.

Van Ginkel excels at recognizing when offensive linemen "set soft." His hand never hits the dirt when he lines up, and he uses his unique shiftiness to take advantage. Simple, selfless, and high-effort plays contributed to a record-setting year for Van Ginkel.

The sixth-year player out of Wisconsin is a disruptor with an uncanny instinct for identifying the ball carrier. A threat at any given moment, Van Ginkel is a pivotal component of the team's takeaway identity. The Vikings lead the league with 21 forced turnovers, and it also helps that he turned two into 14 points.

Players like Andrew Van Ginkel make up more of that punk rock DNA Brian Flores reinvented. Flores was familiar with Van Ginkel from their Miami Dolphins days, and they have picked up where they left off and then built on that foundation. Van Ginkel has done enough to join the DPOY conversation.