Vikings Pass Rusher Will Likely Take a Wee Bit Longer to Return
Andrew Van Ginkel will return soon to the Minnesota Vikings’ starting lineup — but it may not be this weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium when the world champion — but currently sputtering — Philadelphia Eagles roll into Minneapolis.
Some sweet injury updates arrived for the Minnesota Vikings after the bye week, but one man might be on the shelf beyond Week 7 against the Eagles.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell offered a flurry of injury updates on Monday, and Van Ginkel’s sounded a bit ginger.
Andrew Van Ginkel Will Be Back for Vikings — but Probably Not Week 7
The veteran EDGE is navigating a neck injury.
Injury Update for Andrew Van Ginkel Sounds Promising, Not Official
O’Connell gave positive injuries on a litany of Vikings players to start Week 7, but on Van Ginkel, he sounded cautiously optimistic.
“He is on a timeline that I don’t necessarily have at this time, but I do feel positive about where he’s at today and moving forward,” O’Connell told reporters.
That sounds like a man who won’t play this weekend, but instead is eyeing Week 8 or after for his return from the neck injury.
Soon-to-Be Missing Final Piece?
Minnesota has endured a laughable amount of injuries, especially on offense. On defense, though, Blake Cashman missed four games with a naughty hamstring. Jeff Okudah suffered a concussion early in the season. And legendary safety Harrison Smith missed time with a mysterious ailment, only to return with a mandated pitch count.
This week, Cashman is on tap to return, Okudah is healthy, Smith is available — and the club is just missing Van Ginkel.
It should also be noted that, as recently as last week, folks didn’t know at all when Van Ginkel would return because neck injuries are notoriously spooky in sports. He could’ve been tossed on IR, and no one would’ve been too surprised. That did not happen, and O’Connell made it sound like Van Ginkel’s return is somewhat near.
Dallas Turner in Van Ginkel’s Stead
How’s life without Van Ginkel? Not bad.
Dallas Turner is steadily coming into his own, tallying pressures and impact plays with no Van Ginkel on the field. In fact, one might argue that Turner has banked much-needed playing time with Van Ginkel sidelined.
A to Z Sports‘ Tyler Forness noted on Turner this week: “Turner’s role is important. He brings a ton of value to the defense because of the simulated pressures that Flores likes to use. That element is incredibly valuable to the defense’s structure, but it’s also something that doesn’t get accounted for on the stat sheet, just like Barr. Turner is good in coverage, mainly because he moves so well in space and has great length.”
“The other main aspect is how much the run defense has done with Turner on the field. In the first three games, when Turner didn’t play the majority of snaps, the run defense was significantly better with him on the field. Why? He’s incredibly versatile and has an impact in many ways.”
Week 8 or 9 May Be Realistic
Generally speaking, Van Ginkel’s return this weekend is unlikely. There’s not enough momentum, and again, neck injuries are dicey.
In Week 8, Minnesota will travel to Los Angeles for a date with the Chargers, followed by 10 days off before an early November road game at Detroit, a team the Vikings haven’t beaten since early in 2022.
Speculating a Week 8 or Week 9 return for Van Ginkel makes the most sense. If he does not return for one of those games, well, Minnesota should’ve tossed him on IR.
Our Ted Schwerzler on Van Ginkel
Schwerzler added more context on Van Ginkel this week, “Andrew Van Ginkel posted the best season of his career last year with the Minnesota Vikings. This year he has missed multiple contests due to a nagging neck injury, and his return timeline is still murky at best. Van Ginkel has played in just two of the Vikings five games this season. He missed Week 2, and then was back in action against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3.”
“That contest was his last appearance though, and it has now been 23 days since he last played. Minnesota opted against putting him on injured reserve, but that looks like it may have been the path to go at this point. If they do so now, he’ll miss at least another four games and the front seven will continue to be without one of their top edge rushers.”
The Vikings handed Van Ginkel a $23 million contract extension during the offseason.
“Van Ginkel sacked Jake Browning twice in Week 3. He put up a career-best 11.5 last season, and unless his availability quickly turns around, it will be tough to match that number. Dallas Turner has seen significant run in his absence,” Schwerzler concluded.
Minnesota’s point spread has shrunk in the last two days against Philadelphia. It is now just a 1.5-point underdog.
You must be logged in to post a comment.