Inside The Vikings

Andrew Van Ginkel's rare season could make him a dark horse DPOY candidate

Van Ginkel is doing things this year that you don't see very often.
Will Ragatz|
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) celebrates his sack of Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024.
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) celebrates his sack of Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

In Sunday's win over the Titans, Vikings outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel joined a club that includes just three other members. With a pair of sacks on consecutive plays late in the first half, he became the fourth player in NFL history with at least 8.0 sacks and two interceptions returned for touchdowns in a single season — and he did it with seven games left to play in the 2024 campaign.

8 sacks and 2 INT TDs in one season, NFL history

— Jason Taylor, 2006 Dolphins (13.5 sacks and 2 INT TD)
— Terrell Suggs, 2008 Ravens (8.0 and 2)
— Bill Stanfill, 1969 Dolphins (8.0 and 2)
— Andrew Van Ginkel, 2024 Vikings (8.0 and 2 through Week 11)

The 8 sacks are a career-high for Van Ginkel in his sixth NFL season. The former Dolphin, who has been an incredible free agent addition for the Vikings, is on pace for 13.5 sacks this season, which would match Taylor for the most in a season by a player who also had multiple pick-sixes.

Taylor, the Hall of Famer who spent most of his illustrious career with Miami, was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year for that 2006 season where he had 13.5 sacks, two pick-sixes, and nine forced fumbles. Van Ginkel doesn't have the national star power of players like T.J. Watt, Fred Warner, or Dexter Lawrence, but he's having the type of season that could warrant some dark horse DPOY consideration if he continues to stuff the stat sheet down the stretch run.

The case for Van Ginkel is that he's been arguably the most valuable player on the NFL's best defense this season (the Vikings are No. 1 in defensive DVOA, opponent EPA per play, opponent success rate, and takeaways per game). In addition to leading the league in pick-sixes, he also has more total tackles for loss (13) than any other player.

Van Ginkel is still probably a long shot to win DPOY since he's competing against the likes of Watt, Warner, Lawrence, Chris Jones, Nick Bosa, Trey Hendrickson, and Brian Branch, among others. The argument could also be made that he isn't even the best player on his own defense; Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman both have cases for that unofficial title.

But the man known as "Gink" is perhaps the best embodiment of the versatility and complexity of Brian Flores' scheme. And if he keeps stacking up numbers and the Vikings keep winning, he might just have a shot at the league's top defensive award.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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