The Minnesota Vikings kept their winning ways going in Week 18 with an exciting victory on the road against the Seattle Seahawks. Now with a 13-2 record, the purple and gold stay in the race for the NFC North title and top seed in the NFC playoffs.
It took some big performances from several Vikings players to get their eighth consecutive win. Sunday's game saw several Minnesota players rise to the occasion and one of them earned an award for their efforts.
Vikings edge rusher named NFC Defensive Player of the Week
The Minnesota Vikings announced on their website that linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 16. His play against the Seahawks was exceptional and is worthy of recognition.
Van Ginkel had five tackles in the game with three hits on Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. He finished the day with two sacks while being a disruptive presence on the edge for Minnesota in a hostile environment.
This season, Van Ginkel has been fantastic. A free-agent signing from the Dolphins this offseason, he was signed to help replace all the exiting pass rushers for the Vikings. He and Jonathan Greenard have become a fearsome duo when attacking opposing quarterbacks in a dynamic Brian Flores defensive scheme.
In 15 games this season, Andrew Van Ginkel has racked up 69 combined tackles, 18 quarterback hits, 11 sacks, five pass defenses, two interceptions that were both returned for touchdowns, and forced a fumble. It wouldn't be shocking to hear him mentioned in Defensive Player of the Year conversations.
Van Ginkel is the third Minnesota Vikings player to win a weekly award from the league, joining quarterback Sam Darnold and fellow edge rusher Jonathan Greenard in the prestigious group of purple and gold players this season.
This is the first time in his career that Andrew Van Ginkel was named Defensive Player of the Week in his career. A fifth-round pick by the Dolphins in 2019, Andrew Van Ginkel had five solid seasons in Miami but is enjoying his first double-digit sack year with the Vikings.
Congratulations to Andrew Van Ginkel for being named Week 16's NFC Defensive Player of the Week. It's great to see his efforts with the Minnesota Vikings being rewarded by the league and hopefully he can continue to be a huge presence on the edge for the team for many years to come.