Tag: Andrew Van Ginkel

Dolphins LB Andrew Van Ginkel leaves vs. Bills with injury

Miami suffers another loss on the edge.

The Miami Dolphins have had a number of injuries in the outside linebacker room, as they entered Week 18 without Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, who both suffered season-ending injuries.

Then, early in the third quarter of their battle with the Buffalo Bills, Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel went down after tackling Bills running back James Cook after a seven-yard gain.

He walked slowly to the locker room with trainers.

If he can’t go for the rest of the game, Miami will have to rely on Melvin Ingram, Emmanuel Ogbah and Cameron Goode on the edge.

UPDATE: Van Ginkel has been ruled out with a foot injury.

Bills at Dolphins: Key matchups to watch in Week 18

#Bills at #Dolphins: Key matchups to watch in Week 18:

The Buffalo Bills will visit the Miami Dolphins in their upcoming Week 18 matchup at Hard Rock Stadium.

The two teams have been rigorously preparing for the contest throughout the past week. Buffalo (10-6) and Miami (11-5) will think they know their upcoming opponent, inside and out, after all the practicing and studying they have put in.

Because of that, despite all the off-field talking, speculation and discussion, it will still be the games, within the game, that will make all the difference when it comes to the final outcome of this upcoming weekend.

With that, here are three key matchups to watch during Sunday’s Bills-Dolphins contest:

LB Bradley Chubb names three Dolphins who were Pro Bowl snubs

Bradley Chubb says 3 Dolphins were snubbed from Pro Bowl.

The 2023 regular season is about to come to an end with Week 18 on the horizon, and with that being said, the NFL announced the rosters for the 2024 Pro Bowl Games on Wednesday night.

Six Dolphins made the team – quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, running back Raheem Mostert, fullback Alec Ingold, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, left tackle Terron Armstead and cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

While everyone is excited for those who made the Pro Bowl, there are always discussions surrounding who should’ve made the roster. And, after the team was announced, Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb took to social media to voice his displeasure in three of his teammates who didn’t make it.

Andrew Van Ginkel, Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler are having incredible seasons.

Van Ginkel, despite being a rotational piece for part of the year, has recorded 68 tackles (eight for a loss), 18 quarterback hits, eight passes defensed (career-high), six sacks (career-high) and an interception that he returned for a touchdown. He’s also been Pro Football Focus’ seventh-highest graded edge defender (91.2).

Wilkins has put up 61 tackles (11 for a loss), 20 quarterback hits (career-high), eight sacks (career-high) and two passes defensed.

Sieler, after receiving a contract extension before the year, has 56 tackles (11 for a loss), 20 quarterback hits (career-high), 9.5 sacks (career-high), four passes defensed, one forced fumble and one interception that was returned for a score. Only one interior defensive lineman has more sacks than Sieler in the AFC – Justin Madubuike (13).

Even Chubb, himself, had a strong case before tearing his ACL, as he recorded 74 tackles (career-high), 22 quarterback hits (career-high), 11 sacks, a league-leading six forced fumbles (career-high) and two passes defensed.

All four were named as alternates, so there’s a chance that three healthy Dolphins (Van Ginkel, Wilkins and Sieler) get to represent Miami this year eventually if players bow out.

News, notes and nuggets heading into massive Dolphins vs. Bills battle

Some nuggets heading into this pivotal Week 18 matchup.

Following a brutal loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the Miami Dolphins are still in a position to claim the AFC East, which comes with the No. 2 seed, a home playoff game and potentially more.

The hated Buffalo Bills have had their own rollercoaster of a season and find themselves in win-and-in playoff situations while a loss could even leave them on the outskirts of the postseason.

While this game may not be for the faint of heart, perhaps the stakes could’ve been avoided if Miami was able to lock one or two more wins up over the course of the season. However, the Dolphins sit at 11-5 and aim to lock up their first divisional title since 2008. They were crowned division winners then on the very last game of the season, beating the New York Jets on the road.

The last time the Miami and Buffalo franchises played for the AFC East title on the last game of the season was December 19, 1981.

Here are some more news, notes and nuggets for Sunday’s game:

5 reasons the Dolphins will beat the Ravens in Week 17

Five reasons why the Dolphins will beat Baltimore in Week 17

The toughest test of the season for the Miami Dolphins awaits them in Week 17, as they’ll face the first-place Baltimore Ravens in a game that’ll have major playoff implications.

Baltimore, with a 12-3 record, has a chance to solidify home-field advantage through the AFC playoffs while the 11-4 Dolphins are seeking to secure the AFC East crown and first place in the AFC heading into the final regular-season game. At this point, the Dolphins control their own destiny if they want home-field advantage in January.

Both teams are coming off signature wins.

The Dolphins’ victory over the Dallas Cowboys was their first against a winning team, taking a massive weight off the shoulders of coach Mike McDaniel and his team. The Ravens are coming off a blowout of the San Francisco 49ers, who were widely considered the best team in football until that contest.

The Dolphins will have to play to their strengths and neutralize what the Ravens do well if they hope to have a shot. The talent is eminent for Miami. Judging from previous weeks, the team wearing aqua and orange will be ready to rise to the occasion and upset the Ravens.

Here are five reasons why the Dolphins will emerge victorious against Baltimore:

Dolphins LB Andrew Van Ginkel entering elite territory in breakout season

The LB has been incredible this season.

When Andrew Van Ginkel was re-signed for a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins this offseason, he chose not to explore greener pastures with nearly a half-dozen potential suitors. With teams offering more playing time and better pay, there were options put on the table for the fifth-year outside linebacker.

While several AFC teams, including one East rival, put opportunities for Van Ginkel to sleep on, a call from Vic Fangio and the value that the new Dolphins defensive coordinator saw in him was essentially an endorsement to bet on himself. Through 16 weeks, Van Ginkel has had a breakout season full of sacks, turnover creation, touchdowns and even pop-culture ascension, thanks to HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”

The road from just a few seasons ago to now wasn’t as smooth as you’d think, as his playing time was hit drastically last year in comparison to 2021. Last season, much to many fans’ wonder, Van Ginkel played only 29% of the team’s defensive snaps – a far cry from his 71% from 2021.

Heading into this season, an interesting correlation was developing, as Van Ginkel’s on-field importance and times in which he has been on the field more than 80% of the snaps directly relate to Dolphin wins. Prior to this season, when he hit over 80%, the Dolphins were 6-1.

This year, he’s hit this mark five times, and now Miami is 11-1 when he plays over 80% of the snaps. So, math majors don’t need to tell you that, in 2023, Miami will be unbeaten when Van Ginkel plays at this rate.

He played 82% of the snaps against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday and had 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits (tied a career-high), a tackle for loss and a pass defensed.

Van Ginkel’s lone other occurrence with four quarterback hits was back in 2021 in a win against the Carolina Panthers.

To add a more direct correlation to the Dolphins truly winning when he plays often, when he has multiple quarterback hits in a game over his career, Miami is 8-3.

Lastly, in direct comparison to some of the league’s elite pass-rushers, Van Ginkel is among the best. Van Ginkel, along with Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson and Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt, are the only players with at least four sacks, five passes defensed, one interception, seven tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits this season.

What’s mind-boggling is the 2023 seasonal snap counts:

Hutchinson: 91%

Watt: 84%

Van Ginkel: 67%.

And, if you want to talk about 2023 salary, the numbers are as you would expect. Hutchinson’s 2023 cap hit on the Lions is $8.1 million, and Watt costs the Steelers $29 million against their 2023 cap.

Van Ginkel costs the Dolphins $2.6 million in 2023. That’ll certainly change one way or another, but Van Ginkel’s stock is rising each week, and it’d behoove the Dolphins to re-invest in their 2019 fifth-round draft pick IPO of an OLB.

News and notes from Dolphins’ Christmas Eve win over Cowboys

News and notes from Sunday’s victory.

The Miami Dolphins welcomed the Dallas Cowboys into Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday and earned a playoff-clinching victory in thrilling fashion, as kicker Jason Sanders gave Miami a 22-20 lead as time expired.

While Miami may not have been firing on all cylinders, they did just enough to make sure that they put the narrative of not beating bad teams to bed.

Before we turn the page and prepare for the Week 17 battle with the Baltimore Ravens, let’s talk about some of the interesting tidbits that happened in this one.

Dolphins LB Andrew Van Ginkel played with broken nose vs. Jets

Miami Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel missed no time with a broken nose against the New York Jets.

The Miami Dolphins defense was masterful in their shutout of the New York Jets on Sunday to help the team move to 10-4 on the season.

Early on in the contest, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, who has been gaining popularity for his play and appearances in “Hard Knocks,” suffered a broken nose, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported that the injury happened in the first quarter, and Van Ginkel played the rest of the game with the injury. He finished with 51 defensive snaps, the fourth-most on the unit behind only Brandon Jones, Elijah Campbell and David Long Jr.

That’s the definition of a warrior.

Hopefully, we’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the moment and the grit he displayed in this week’s episode.

News and notes from Dolphins 30-0 shutout win over the Jets

Notes from Miami’s 10th victory.

The Miami Dolphins rebounded after a Monday Night Meltdown last week and delivered the New York Jets a 30-0 shutout at Hard Rock Stadium.

The game featured a masterful defensive performance by Bradley Chubb, who was a polarizing player this week based on last Monday night’s mental error against the Tennessee Titans.

The last time that the Dolphins shut out a team was in 2020, and, coincidentally, that was also against the Jets. They’ve now swept the Jets for the 20th time in their all-time series. This is also the eighth occurrence in team history that Miami has swept the Jets and New England Patriots in the same season

The Dolphins are now 10-4 for the first time since 2000, and this is the third time since 2010 they’ve won double-digit games, adding to 2016 and 2020. Miami has won eight consecutive home games against the Jets.

Their 30-point margin of victory against New York on Sunday is the third time this season that Miami has won by at least 30 points. It’s only the second time in franchise history that they’ve posted three 30-plus-point wins in the same season and the first since 1971.

Dolphins set franchise record with third defensive touchdown in as many weeks

The Miami Dolphins have scored a defensive touchdown in each of their last three games, setting a franchise record.

When you generally think about the Miami Dolphins and scoring points, you think about one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL, and for good reason. But do you know that when Miami defensive lineman Zach Sieler picked off this Will Levis pass against the Tennessee Titans on Monday night and returned it five yards for a touchdown, it marked the third straight game in which the Dolphins scored a defensive touchdown, which set a franchise record?

We’ll start with safety Jevon Holland’s 99-yard pick-six against quarterback Tim Boyle and the New York Jets on Black Friday, which was the worst Hail Mary attempt we’ve ever seen.

And then in Week 13 against the Washington Commanders, pass-rusher Andrew Van Ginkel took this Sam Howell screen attempt 33 yards to the house.

As Sieler weight 305 pounds, we’ll call that a #THICCSIX. Van Ginkel clocks in at about 240, and Holland weighs 210, those touchdowns do not apply. We don’t make the rules here; we just follow them.