Tag: Andrew Van Ginkel

Several Vikings receive votes in NFL survey for major awards

Three Vikings earned votes for Player of the Year honors.

As the regular season winds down, playoffs will ramp up, and awards will be handed out. In the latest NFL.com award survey, they asked 27 members — who will remain anonymous — to vote on several different categories to see who might win the awards.

Three different Vikings received votes, and one of them won the award.

Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell won Coach of the Year in a landslide. O’Connell ran away with COY voting. He had 16.5 votes, 13.5 votes more than any other coach. With the Vikings outplaying preseason expectations, O’Connell is the popular name to win the award. Quarterback Sam Darnold is having a career year, and plenty thank O’Connell for it.

Two other Vikings received votes in this particular voting.

General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had two votes for Executive of the Year. Also, Edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel received one vote for Defensive Player of the Year. With the moves Adofo-Mensah has made and the play of Van Ginkel, it’s not a shock to see them with votes.

Top NFL Draft prospect draws comparisons to Vikings’ Andrew Van Ginkel

In college football, the Penn State defense is very similar to that of the Vikings, and they each have a do-it-all player they rely on.

The Minnesota Vikings and their defense have become one of the star groups in the NFL. Brian Flores has schemed and used his players like chess pieces while creating chaos for opposing defenses.

In college football, the Penn State defense is very similar to that of the Vikings, and they each have a do-it-all player they rely on.

Brett Kollmann of The Bootleg Football Podcast says that when he watched the Penn State defense to see top draft prospect Abdul Carter, he saw someone similar to Vikings star defender Andrew Van Ginkel.

 

Abdul Carter has been a star on the Penn State defense and is poised to be a top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Getting a comparison to Andrew Van Ginkel is a nice addition to a draft profile if you are Carter.

Three Badgers among leading vote-getters for 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games

Three Badgers among leading vote-getters for 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games

Three former Wisconsin Badgers were among the early leading vote-getters for the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games on Monday.

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt, Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and Detroit Lions guard Kevin Zeitler were among 50 players listed as top vote-getters in the early voting window on Monday.

Watt leads the AFC’s outside linebacker voting, Van Ginkel leads the NFC’s outside linebacker vote count and Zeitler spearheads the NFC’s offensive guard ballot at this stage of the voting process.

When voting commenced, a total of 18 former Badgers were featured on the ballot. On offense, the most notable included quarterback Russell Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers), running back Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis Colts), running back Braelon Allen (New York Jets) and full back Alec Ingold (Miami Dolphins).

Defensively, 11 Badger playmakers were featured alongside Watt and Van Ginkel. Surprisingly, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zach Baun did not scratch the early list.

Given the talent at his passion, Baun’s omission isn’t much a surprise. Ironically, both outside linebackers are Badgers.

Van Ginkel accounts for 59 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, nine sacks and a league-leading two interceptions returned for a touchdown. Watt, a perennial All-Pro, has registered 9.5 sacks, a league-best 16 tackles for loss and NFL-high five forced fumbles in 12 appearances this season.

Zeitler, meanwhile, is one of the more valuable guards in Detroit’s offensive line responsible for blocking for running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Watt boasts six Pro Bowl appearances, Zeitler was selected for the event in 2023 and Van Ginkel has yet to make a Pro Bowl.

Russell Wilson, Zack Baun headline former Badgers on 2025 NFL Pro Bowl ballot

Russell Wilson, Zack Baun headline former Badgers on 2025 NFL Pro Bowl ballot

A total of 18 former Wisconsin Badgers were included on the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games ballot on Tuesday.

On the offensive side of the ball, 11 UW alumni were featured on the NFL’s voting list. The most notable include quarterback Russell Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers), running back Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis Colts), running back Braelon Allen (New York Jets), full back Alec Ingold (Miami Dolphins) and tight end Jake Ferguson (Dallas Cowboys).

Offensive linemen Rob Havenstein (Los Angeles Rams), David Edwards (Buffalo Bills), Kevin Zeitler (Detroit Lions), Tyler Biadasz (Washington Commanders), Tanor Bortolini (Colts) and Joe Tippmann (Jets) were also featured.

Defensively, tackle Keeanu Benton (Steelers), inside linebacker T.J. Edwards (Chicago Bears) and outside linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel (Minnesota Vikings), T.J. Watt (Steelers), Nick Herbig (Steelers), Zack Baun (Philadelphia Eagles) and Leo Chenal (Kansas City Chiefs) were selected as eligible for the ballot.

On the surface, the most surprising inclusions on the lists are Benton and Allen. While the list is nowhere near final, these former Badgers rarely receive national attention, and they will surely fail to make the final Pro Bowl roster.

Nonetheless, they’re eligible. A total of 69 defensive tackles and 42 running backs were featured on the ballot. Since both Benton and Allen have each logged 11 games and made a statistical impact for their respective teams, they ultimately appear on the ballot.

Baun, Watt and Van Ginkel are likely shoe-ins for the Pro Bowl Games this winter. With 105 total tackles, Baun is trending towards an All-Pro appearance, Van Ginkel is among the NFL’s sack leaders with nine sacks, while Watt is a perennial Pro Bowler.

This winter’s Pro Bowl features a flag football game and several skill competitions. It is slated for Sunday, Feb. 2 at 2:00 p.m. CT in Orlando, Florida.

Pro Bowl Voting is now open, vote for your favorite Vikings players

On Monday, the NFL announced that Pro Bowl voting is now open which means you can vote for your favorite Vikings players. 

The Pro Bowl has had its ups and downs over the years, but it has never ceased to give us memorable moments. From Sean Taylor derailing a punter on a trick play to Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson toying with defenders in flag football, we get memories out of these events, and you, the fans, get to decide who makes those for you.

On Monday, the NFL announced that Pro Bowl voting is now open, which means you can vote for your favorite Vikings players.

Most positions allow you to vote for up to six players in each of them. Some Vikings who could get your vote on offense are Sam Darnold during his breakout season. Aaron Jones already has over 1,000 yards of offense and deserves your vote. Of course, Justin Jefferson will always get some votes but don’t forget about Jordan Addison.

On defense, the edge-rushing duo of Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel has almost 20 sacks between them. Blake Cashman has proven to be a difference-maker on that side of the ball.

When you vote for these guys, make sure you don’t forget about Will Reichard, either.

Vikings receive great news on final injury report before Week 11

On Friday, ahead of Week 11, the Vikings received their healthiest injury report of the season. 

The Minnesota Vikings have been battling injuries every week of the season on both sides of the ball. The team has gained back some players and then lost some other key ones as a form of trade on injury reports.

On Friday, ahead of Week 11, the Vikings received their healthiest injury report of the season.

The Vikings have just one player on the injury report: rookie edge rusher Gabriel Murphy, who is recovering from a knee injury this past offseason. He is still within his 21-day open practice window, so he wasn’t expected to be cleared this quickly.

The best part of the injury report was the removal of Sam Darnold (shoulder), Andrew Van Ginkel (hip), Blake Cashman (elbow), and  Aaron Jones (Ribs). All those key starters had lingering injuries, and their removal in the final report is a major win before Week 11 against the Titans.

They now will have a roster that is 7-2 and at full strength against a Titans roster that is 2-7.

Vikings LB Andrew Van Ginkel was ‘banged up’ against the Colts in Week 9

The Vikings will have to keep an eye on their prized free agent signing.

Rookie Dallas Turner saw 26 snaps on Sunday in the win over the Colts, which was the most he’s seen since Week 1 against the Giants. It turns out that there is a reason why he had to play more.

When defensive coordinator Brian Flores took the podium on Tuesday to answer questions, he revealed Andrew Van Ginkel was “banged up”.

“I know that’s something that a lot of people have been talking about. I think you know, Gink (Van Ginkel) was a little bit not hurt, a minor thing that he was dealing with. So, you know, Dallas is the next guy in. He went in, you know, played well. Gink said he was ready to go back in, and we kept the same kind of grouping for the remainder of the game, and Dallas did a few good things as well. So again, that’s a deep room. There’s a lot of good players in there. And you know, by and large, we’ll go to the hot hand.”

It will be worth monitoring Van Ginkel’s health status as the week progresses.

PFF Grades: Best and worst from Vikings Week 7 loss to the Lions

The NFL season will sometimes show us what we want to see from players; other times, we may see something bad when it isn’t there. For fans and media, there has to be a way to check and balance things to avoid favoritism or bias in a negative light. …

The NFL season will sometimes show us what we want to see from players; other times, we may see something bad when it isn’t there. For fans and media, there has to be a way to check and balance things to avoid favoritism or bias in a negative light.

Thanks to PFF, we will always have an extra set of eyes to examine the football game.

The team’s loss to the Lions led to the team realizing they are, in fact, human. They showed resiliency and a drive to fight back as they made a defensive play to get the lead late in the fourth quarter. This time, more than most this year, the PFF grades are going to be very interesting.

Here are the best and worst from the PFF grades for the Vikings’ win over the New York Jets.

RB Aaron Jones 77.9

QB Sam Darnold 76.4

WR Justin Jefferson 72.2

WR Jalen Nailor 69.5

G Blake Brandel 67.4

G Ed Ingram 38

RB Ty Chandler 45.7

TE Johnny Mundt 50.8

WR Jordan Addison 55.1

TE Robert Tonyan 55.4

Aaron Jones 75.7

Sam Darnold 67.7

Ty Chandler 52.5

TE Josh Oliver 75.2

C Garrett Bradbury 69.6

G Blake Brandel 61.4

WR Jordan Addison 60.6

WR Brandon Powell 60

TE Johnny Mundt 37

G Ed Ingram 43.7

OT Brian O’Neill 49.6

WR Jalen Nailor 52.8

OT Christian Darrisaw 56.6

OT Christian Darrisaw 85.8

FB C.J. Ham 84.1

OT Brian O’Neill 78.1

TE Josh Oliver 75.9

G Blake Brandel 74.9

TE Johnny Mundt 21.6

RB Ty Chandler 25.1

C Garrett Bradbury 37.6

G Ed Ingram 64.8

RB Aaron Jones 70.2

Edge Jonathan Greenard 92.1

LB Andrew Van Ginkel 80.2

SAF Joshua Metellus 73.5

DL Taki Taimani 71.7

CB Shaq Griffin 70.8

LB Kamu Grugier-Hill 28

SAF Camryn Bynum 34.9

Edge Dallas Turner 41.2

SAF Harrison Smith 43.2

LB Ivan Pace Jr. 47

SAF Joshua Metellus 90.5

CB Byron Murphy Jr. 74.9

DL Jerry Tillery 69.7

CB Shaq Griffin 69.2

LB Ivan Pace Jr. 68.8

LB Kamu Grugier-Hill 31

SAF Camryn Bynum 40.7

DL Harrison Phillips 45.7

DL Jonathan Bullard 51.2

SAF Harrison Smith 52.2

Edge Jonathan Greenard 93.7

LB Ivan Pace Jr. 84.5

SAF Joshua Metellus 74.9

LB Andrew Van Ginkel 69.9

DL Jonathan Bullard 66

DL Pat Jones II 50.4

DL Harrison Phillips 51.5

LB Kamu Grugier-Hill 55.8

Edge Dallas Turner 56.5

DL Jerry Tillery 57.1

LB Andrew Van Ginkel 89.2

DL Harrison Phillips 75.4

Shaq Griffin 66.2

Edge Jonathan Greenard 61.7

DL Pat Jones II 61.4

LB Ivan Pace Jr. 29.4

SAF Camryn Bynum 43.8

LB Kamu Grugier-Hill 45.4

SAF Harrison Smith 47.3

SAF Joshua Metellus 48.3

Could Andrew Van Ginkel win the Defensive Player of the Year Award?

The Defensive Player of the Year award was considered a virtual lock for Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson before his brutal knee injury.

The Defensive Player of the Year award was considered a virtual lock for Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson before his brutal knee injury. Since his injury, we have discussed a handful of defensive players, minus one that deserves it.

Andrew Van Ginkel has been playing as well as any defender in the NFL.

Despite that, no one has been highlighting his performance this year. The entire Vikings defense has been playing well as a unit, so it is easy to blend in, but his work needs to be highlighted.

Through six games, Andrew Van Ginkel has 26 total tackles, six tackles for a loss, five sacks, two interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns. If his name was Fred Warner, T.J. Watt, or Myles Garrett, he would be a national star this year.

Sooner or later, if he keeps playing this way, folks around the NFL will be forced to take notice. For now, he will remain a free agent steal for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and a menace for Brian Flores in his defense.

Justin Jefferson had a historic day against the Lions in Week 7

With 81 yards receiving on Sunday, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson moved into 6th place on the team’s receiving yards list.

The Minnesota Vikings came up just short in their bid to beat the Detroit Lions in Week 7 and remain one of the league’s two undefeated teams. Despite jumping out to an early 10-0 lead on the Lions, the Vikings gave up three straight scoring drives to fall into a 21-10 hole before mounting a comeback of their own, but ultimately falling just short.

The loss is a tough one for the Vikings and their fans, but it didn’t come without some highlights. There was the continued dominance of edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, a spectacular scoop-and-score fumble return by linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr., and a performance by wide receiver Justin Jefferson that saw him climb up the Vikings’ all-time receiving list in two categories.

Early in the third quarter, Jefferson came down with a highlight-reel grab to come down with his fifth touchdown of the season, prompting a “I’m like that!” statement from Jefferson before hitting his patented Griddy celebration.

That touchdown was Jefferson’s 35th of his career, breaking a tie with wide receiver Ahmad Rashad for the seventh-most receiving touchdowns in Minnesota Vikings’ history. But Jefferson’s historic day didn’t end there.

Jefferson ended the day with seven receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. Those 81 yards were good enough to move Jefferson into 6th place all-time on the receiving yards list, passing Sammy White. With just four yards in Thursday’s Week 8 game against the Rams, Jefferson will pass another Vikings’ all-time great, Jake Reed, for fifth place on that list, leaving him behind only Adam Thielen, Anthony Carter, Randy Moss, and Cris Carter.

Jefferson’s 81 yards on Sunday gives him 6,430 yards in his career in just 66 games, giving Jefferson by far the most receiving yards per game (97.7) of any receiver in team history — among receivers with at least double-digit receptions, with Moss a distant second at 82.4.