Though he might not be a household name at this point in his career, Van Ginkel has become so important to everything the Vikings do on defense. He has been very effective as a pass rusher, whether he’s using his speed off the edge, or his strength up the middle. He has also been very reliable whenever asked to drop in coverage.

Van Ginkel had his third multi-sack game of the season; it's his first-ever Defensive Player of the Week honor.

Rock Valley Iowa native, Andrew Van Ginkel, was named NFC defensive player of the week for week 16, the league announced Tuesday. Van Ginkel led the NFC in week 16 with two sacks from their battle against Seattle.

The National Football League has just announced that Van Ginkel has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Vikings’ 27-24 victory in Seattle

Edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after his two fourth-quarter sacks against the Seattle Seahawks in a 27-24 win on Sunday. They were the only times that the Vikings defense brought down Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith,

The Seattle Seahawks fell short of upsetting the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, dropping their Week 16 contest 27-24. Mike Macdonald's defense struggled to get stops. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 246 yards,

After two critical fourth quarter sacks to help seal the Minnesota Vikings 27-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel has won the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award.