Linebacker Andrew Van GiMiami Dolphins talked about playing with a broken nose during the team’s Week 15 victory over the New York Jets on “Good Morning Football” on Wednesday.nkel of the
Despite the excruciating injury, the fifth-year pro revealed that he didn’t second-guess his decision to return to the game.
“They only wanted me to enter the medical tent so they could hide the extent of the damage and the blood that was leaking out. However, after five minutes or so, it began to quiet down, and they applied gauze with Afrin on it while making every effort to bring me back outside, according to Van Ginkel. “I never gave it a second thought. All of it is deeply ingrained in me. Simply return to the field and carry on playing.”
Despite the frightening circumstances, the 28-year-old played 51% of the team’s defensive snaps, tying his season best. Van Ginkel finished with two quarterback hits, two solo tackles, one pass defensed, and 0.5 sacks—his first partial sack since Week 5—in the 30-0 victory.
After making his NFL debut on November 24, 2019, the 2019 fifth-round pick has played his entire career with Miami and hasn’t missed a game. Against the Washington Commanders in Week 13 of this month, Van Ginkel recorded his first career pick-six and interception during the 2022 campaign.
In 2023, he tied his career best of seven passes defensed (tied for third on the Dolphins). He also ranks in the team’s top five with seven tackles for loss (tied for fourth) and 14 quarterback hits (fourth). Van Ginkel is also one sack shy of his career high, which he set in 2020, with 4.5 this season.
It’s not uncommon for professional players to play through severe injuries, and this month alone has seen a few more noteworthy cases.
Jim Schwartz, the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, revealed recently that he “almost threw up” while studying game tape of the team’s Week 14 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. This resulted after witnessing Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, a defensive end, play with a torn pectoral.
It was recently claimed by Cleveland’s NBA franchise that standout point guard Darius Garland played almost the full half against the Boston Celtics despite having a cracked jaw.
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