As soon as linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel got to the line of scrimmage in Sunday’s game against the Giants at MetLife Stadium, he seemed to have a pretty good idea that a screen pass might be coming. He peeked over his left shoulder twice before the ball was snapped, then read the eyes of maligned New York quarterback Daniel Jones to perfection.

A few seconds later, Van Ginkel had the ball in his hands and was scampering into the end zone for a touchdown. That helped the Vikings put the final nail in the coffin of a 28-6 win over the New York Giants.

“It happened so fast,” safety Josh Metellus said. “I got off a block and the next thing I know I see him flying through the air. He pretty much landed in the end zone. I’m like, ‘Oh wow.’ ”

The incredible individual effort from Van Ginkel paved the way for pandemonium on the Vikings sideline.

It started with linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. mobbing Van Ginkel, followed by safety Cam Bynum, defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. The camera panned to veteran edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who had his hands on his head in disbelief, then back to rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner, who widened his eyes and shouted, “Oh my god!” Even defensive coordinator Brian Flores rushed over to show Van Ginkel some love.

“I actually got warned by the official after the touchdown,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said with a laugh. “He came running over. I didn’t know what he was going to tell me. He said, ‘Hey, just a heads up. Most of the defensive staff was in the end zone.’”

Though he got on the headset and relayed the message, O’Connell couldn’t say too much. Not when he, too, was a part of the celebration.

As he reflected on the moment, veteran safety Harrison Smith highlighted how organic everything was in real time. There was no choreographed dance. Just pure unadulterated joy from the Vikings as a whole.

“There’s a lot that goes into this,” Smith said. “The feeling and respect and understanding of how many people it takes to be successful on game day is something we’re all pretty aware of. If everybody wants to celebrate, that’s even better. I think we’ll take a warning.”

The biggest thing that stood out to Flores when asked about the sequence was how much Van Ginkel’s teammates wanted to celebrate in the immediate aftermath.

“We tell them when they make a play, they should go out there and celebrate,” Flores said. “We see that on the field, and I hope when people watch us, they see a group that enjoys playing together.”

As for his personal reaction?

“I get excited too,” Flores said. “There’s nothing more enjoyable than watching our guys have success. That’s why we do this. Yeah, I was fired up, and I’m not ashamed to say that.”

In other words, if the defense scores another touchdown at some point this season, expect a similar type of scene in the end zone.

“Hopefully we don’t get penalized,” Flores said with a smile. “I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”

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