Minnesota’s OLBs accounted for 34.5 of the team’s 49 sacks (70.4%) and Greenard, Jones and Van Ginkel posted three games apiece with multiple. One of those efforts must be included in this section … right?
We’re picking one of Van Ginkel’s two pick sixes – the longer one, the pluck in London, the play that Jets QB Aaron Rodgers playfully, but also probably painfully, referred to as an early Christmas gift for Gink’.
Every part of the moment was perfect.
Van Ginkel disarmed Rodgers’ protection check to his side by faking a blitz and pivoting to the shallow hook zone. Rodgers blinked, missing Van Ginkel, and zipped a pass intended for receiver Garrett Wilson.
Amazingly, Van Ginkel batted the ball with his right hand into his left, switched it back to his right, breaking a century-old ball carrier rule to tuck away from danger and in the arm closest to the sideline and fastened it under his armpit. Off to the races! Van Ginkel stiff-armed Mike Williams, outran Olu Fashanu and followed a Vikings caravan 63 yards into a Purple painted end zone 4,000 miles from home.
Adding to its incredibleness is the later-discovered fact that Van Ginkel intercepted Brett Rypien, the esteemed leader of the Vikings scout offense, in practice on the exact same concept and blitz disguise.
In a short stint with the Jets, Rypien learned some of Rodgers’ go-to checks and favorite designs, trying to add to his wheelhouse, then imitated the all-timer in practice on a triple-slant play against pressure.
It culminated in one of the best defensive plays of the year.