EAGAN, Minn. — When the Minnesota Vikings signed Andrew Van Ginkel back in March, coach Kevin O'Connell had a rather lofty request of his new linebacker.
"I kind of had a joke with him when we first signed him that I expected him to find the end zone this year," O'Connell told reporters on Sunday following the Vikings' season-opening win over the New York Giants. "I did not know it was going to be the first game, which was pretty spectacular."
Van Ginkel held up his end of the deal when he jumped a screen pass late in the third quarter and trotted into the end zone to help put the finishing touches on an impressive 28-6 victory to start the season.
"That's always my goal — to make impact plays and game-changing plays," said Van Ginkel, who also finished with a sack and two quarterback hits. "It can come in a multitude of ways — punching the ball out, fumble recoveries — that's what I pride myself on, getting to the ball and making an impact when the opportunity arises."
Van Ginkel said he picked up on some tendencies Sunday after playing against Brian Daboll twice a season as division rivals when both were with their previous teams. Daboll, who is now the Giants head coach, was the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills when Van Ginkel was drafted by Miami in 2019.
"It was kind of similar plays to what they ran with (Bills quarterback) Josh Allen — all the empties and the quarterback run game, and that sort of thing," Van Ginkel said. "You see it come to life, and the more (you play) in this league, the more you can anticipate and play faster."
On Sunday, he wasn't the only one on defense playing fast. The Vikings tormented New York quarterback Daniel Jones, combining for five sacks and 12 quarterback hits. The Giants finished with just 240 yards of total offense and failed to reach the end zone. Their best chances came in the fourth quarter, but both opportunities were thwarted on fourth down.
A major takeaway from Sunday's game is that the defense was able to generate pressure despite not sending additional help to blitz the quarterback. According to Pro Football Reference, the Vikings pressured Jones on 38.8% of his drop backs Sunday while blitzing on just 24.5% of the snaps, which was substantially lower than last season's league-leading 51.5% blitz rate. Jones went on to finish just 22 of 42 passes for 186 yards and two interceptions — one of those being Van Ginkel's one-handed snag that went for six points.
"As we identified some potential targets in free agency, he was one of the first names that I had identified, even before talking to (defensive coordinator Brian Flores)," said O'Connell during his press conference on Wednesday. "... On my end, it was just playing against the guy, watching cross-over tape where you just see a bunch of plays get made by the same guy."
While O'Connell's preseason goal for Van Ginkel may have seemed exorbitant, it wasn't unwarranted. The 29-year-old linebacker entered the year with three touchdowns in his first five seasons with Miami, including a pick-six last December that was shockingly similar to Sunday's touchdown. Coincidence? Maybe not.
"I had a similar play last year, and (former Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic) Fangio back then, he kind of pointed something out to me and it's in my head now, and so I'm thankful for him," Van Ginkel told reporters following Sunday's game. "And then this defense, we show so much pressure — we put a lot of pressure, anxiety on the coordinators, quarterbacks, O-line, if we can get them to communicate and kind of show their hand, it allows you to play faster and anticipate things, and that's exactly what happened."
Van Ginkel didn't want to tip his hand, but he admitted it's worked for him a couple of times throughout his career, including Sunday. The only low grade to come on that play came after the ball crossed the goal line.
"We probably should have done a better job planning our celebration, so we'll try to work on that," said veteran safety Harrison Smith, who also had an interception of his own. "We were all just happy to see him get into the end zone. It was a heck of a play."
From bowling strikes to keg stands, the Vikings' defense has made an art of celebrations over the years. And while the celebration — a rather ho-hum gathering of teammates in the end zone — won't be one to remember, Van Ginkel's play before it will certainly live on.