Vikings defense welcomes return to full capacity with Andrew Van Ginkel back on the edge

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Andrew Van Ginkel lined up on the left edge for a second-down rush for Minnesota late in the second quarter in Detroit, took his first steps toward the backfield, and suddenly found himself flat on the turf after being knocked down by a Lions wide receiver running a crossing route.

The blind side hit by Kalif Raymond — which Van Ginkel and his Vikings teammates said was dangerous in their plea to the NFL to clarify such blocks as illegal — would have rendered most players out of commission for the play.

But despite being on his back facing away from Lions quarterback Jared Goff, Van Ginkel had the wherewithal to watch the direction the linemen were moving, recognize the screen, and leap up in a Frankenstein-like move to grab running back Jahmyr Gibbs as soon as Goff tossed the ball and bring him down for a 1-yard loss.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell was so impressed he highlighted the clip in his day-after meeting with the team to reflect on the 27-24 victory last Sunday that was fueled by a defensive revival that could be clearly traced to the return of Van Ginkel from a neck injury.

“When we have Gink on the field, we’re a better football team. I don’t think he gets enough credit for how smart of a player he is," linebacker Blake Cashman said. “There just is a calmness when we’ve got all our guys out there and we’re healthy and we can trust that everybody’s going to be in the right spot as it pertains to your assignment on the play.”

Van Ginkel missed five of the first seven games. Cashman was also sidelined for four games with a hamstring injury. There was no question the Vikings defense was not the same without them, nor was defensive coordinator Brian Flores and his play-calling.

“It was good to go out there and get confidence back in and into the routine of things and the flow of the game,” said Van Ginkel, a Pro Bowl pick last season who hadn't missed a game since he was a rookie in 2019 with Miami.

Linebacker Eric Wilson called Van Ginkel a “walking TFL,” using the statistical acronym for a tackle for loss.

“He provides so many layers of things to our defense that allows Flo to be who he wants to be as a play caller,” O'Connell said.

Van Ginkel, Cashman, Wilson and the rest of Minnesota's front seven will face as difficult of a challenge this week as they've had this season, with Lamar Jackson and the back-on-track Baltimore Ravens coming to U.S. Bank Stadium this Sunday. Jackson, the two-time NFL MVP award winner and all-time leading rusher for quarterbacks in league history with just 99 career regular-season starts on his resume, poses a dual threat that's as dangerous as any in this age of mobile passers.

“It's just important that, whether it’s pass rushers or blitzers, everybody’s on the same plan,” Cashman said. “Because if you have one side of the pass rush or blitzers taking inside moves, you need somebody to cover to keep that contain. Lamar, he’s got a unique and special skill set. He’s going to make those hero plays, but it’s about limiting those and causing duress.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL