Andrew Van Ginkel has been here before.

The Vikings outside linebacker dressed in different threads for the first time in his NFL career Sunday at MetLife Stadium, but he was right at home, making an enormous all-around impact in Brian Flores' system.

The 29-year-old Van Ginkel had four tackles, one sack, two quarterback hits and one interception. Oh yeah, and a 10-yard touchdown, after the pick.

"It's a lot of hard work paying off," commented Van Ginkel, mentioning his recovery from a foot injury he suffered in last year's regular-season finale was a grind and conflated by floods in his hometown. "I put a lot of time in with the trainers down in Miami and before I came [up] here, and then once I got [up] here I went right to work with [Vice President of Player Health and Performance] Tyler [Williams] and [Associate Head Athletic Trainer] Matt [Duhamel] and all these guys, and they did a great job of setting up a plan."

The plan resulted in a seemingly everywhere-at-once impact in Minnesota's 28-6 win.

When New York assumed its most advantageous field position, beginning at Minnesota's 20-yard line after C.J. Ham's fumble on the first Vikings possession, Van Ginkel diffused the pressure situation by sacking Daniel Jones on third-and-goal and limiting the Giants to a field goal.

It was Minnesota's first sack of 2024, by the way, and Van Ginkel's first since Christmas Eve 2023.

When the Giants trudged into Vikings territory with less than five minutes left in the first half, Van Ginkel demolished a lead block on a designed quarterback run, freeing Jonathan Bullard to stop Jones for a loss.

It exemplified Van Ginkel's impact in Flores' scheme, in which he was very much a key figure from 2019-21 when the Vikings defensive coordinator was Miami's head coach. Van Ginkel doesn't need to be filing a stat to be impacting the outcome of plays. Minnesota's tactics were a thorn in New York's side.

"It makes them talk and communicate because they don't know where we're coming from or what we're trying to do," Van Ginkel said of Flores' defense. "It allows us to play fast, play physical and make plays."

If you blinked, you probably missed his pick.

Late in the third quarter Sunday, Van Ginkel put a bow on his Vikings debut, popping into the path of Jones' quick-screen pass to Wandale Robinson. Van Ginkel batted the ball into his belly and ran it back for a 28-3 lead. The play put Van Ginkel in rare air in franchise history.

He joined Harrison Smith (2014; 2018) and Kevin Williams (2007) as the only Vikings players since 2000 with a sack and interception in Week 1. Also, it was the first Vikings interception returned for points in 34 games (Patrick Peterson at Chicago in the 2021 regular-season finale).

"It's really just the feel, the presence, the confidence. He's a major part of the communication. We can overload him so that we can let other people play fast around him," Head Coach Kevin O'Connell said at his postgame press conference, excited about Van Ginkel's role. "He does not get enough credit for just the problem he is; diagnosing plays. It's almost Mike linebacker-esque how he can diagnose things but he's playing on the ball most of the time and having to do that with a heckuva lot less time and space to make those plays.

"I kind of had a joke with him when we first signed him that I expected him to find the end zone this year," O'Connell added. "I did not know it was going to be the first game, which was pretty spectacular."

Amazingly, this type of play is a habit for Van Ginkel. We saw it last season when he intercepted Sam Howell and sprinted 33 yards for six points. We also saw it during Minnesota's night practice in Eagan on Aug. 12 when Van Ginkel picked off Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold in an 11-on-11 period.

It's a crazy feat that freezes quarterbacks – Jones never noticed Van Ginkel and didn't react until the veteran linebacker was five yards from the white stripe – and causes teammates to shout “Oh my God!”

Defenders don't pull off that type of play often. In fact, Van Ginkel shared that former Dolphins Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio tipped him off to something in 2023 that may be the secret to his coverage skills.

"I'm going to keep that to myself," Van Ginkel laughed. "It's worked for me a couple of times."

Van Ginkel's takeaway happened in 1.16 seconds, the fastest interception since picking off Howell in 1.26 seconds, according to Next Gen Stats. They count as the fastest interceptions over the last two seasons.

He attributed the play to his anticipation of Jones' processes and allowing his instincts to take over.

"Everything happened so fast," exclaimed safety Joshua Metellus, who was trying to get around a block at the top of a bunch formation when he noticed Van Ginkel flying through the air. "It wasn't disbelief, it was just crazy because we had just seen him do that last year on tape. That was one of the first things [coaches] showed us when he got on the team. For him to do it again just shows that it's not a fluke. He's a smart football player. He's a game-changer and he's going to find a way to change the game."

Metellus picked up where he left off in 2023, with four tackles, plus a quarterback hit and pass defended. The PBU was beautiful as Metellus stretched out and was close to a one-handed pick.

The Vikings captain attributed some of Minnesota's success on defense to influencing Jones with four-man rushes. The duress with four let Flores mix up coverage combinations and confuse the Giants.

Metellus also spoke highly of Van Ginkel's smarts and said the teamwork is a testament to the staff's vision. As a group, Flores' gang recorded five sacks – the club's third instance in a season opener since 2010 (2021, 2014) – held New York to 240 total yards on 68 plays (3.5 avg.) and intercepted two passes.

Van Ginkel's performance was thematic of Minnesota's beating: Newcomers delivered.

Linebacker Blake Cashman had six tackles, including an assist on the first play from scrimmage. Defensive lineman Jerry Tillery notched three tackles and a hurry on Jones that led to a holding penalty. Outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard was quieter on the stat sheet but had a couple nice pressures. New bodies in the secondary also were key. Cornerbacks Shaq Griffin and Stephon Gilmore had four tackles apiece.

"It was easy to build that camaraderie and those relationships. All that stuff off the field helps even more on the field when you know you can trust a guy," said Metellus, adding the arrivals gelled as soon as they joined this offseason and quickly felt at home. "You know what [the staff was] looking for in free agency."

Last but not least, No. 17 overall draft pick Dallas Turner. The rookie outside linebacker assailed Jones on the fifth defensive series, jumping on the back of the Giants quarterback for his first of likely many NFL sacks.

Turner is the sixth Vikings rookie since 1982 to post at least a half-sack in career game No. 1 and the second to do so in the season opener. He joins Fred Molden (1987; Week 4), Brian Robison (2007; Week 1), Asher Allen (2009; Week 7), Armon Watts (2019; Week 10) and James Lynch (2020; Week 5).

The new Vikings – Darnold and the offensive catalysts, as well – collectively set the tone for a win.

"That's what this season is [about]," explained O'Connell, emphasizing that although there's stuff to correct, momentum can be a very real asset. "It's about playing good football as consistently as you can."