Vikings news: Addison suspension, Van Ginkel's historic start, stat says Vikes are Super Bowl-bound

While the Minnesota Vikings 23-17 victory over the New York Jets in London this past Sunday wasn't the prettiest, a win is a win.

With the win, the Vikings have now started 5-0 six times in the last 27 seasons (1998, 2000, 2003, 2009, 2016), the most of any team in the NFL during that stretch.

But it wasn't all good news for Minnesota across the pond, as Aaron Jones left the game with a hip injury. However, it doesn't seem to be all that serious, and Kevin O'Connell has deemed his starting running back as "week-to-week."

As we covered that in our Vikings injury report, we've chosen not to include that as a standalone entry here. And with this being a bye week, there honestly isn't a ton of news coming out of Minneapolis right now. As such, we're opting to put our focus on a couple of historical nuggets, one of which suggests that Minnesota is guaranteed a trip to the Super Bowl.

But we'll kick things off with an update on the inevitable suspension of wideout Jordan Addison, which may end up being delayed until next season.

Jordan Addison may avoid suspension until 2025

Make no mistake about it; Addison will be suspended at some point for his July 12 arrest on suspicion of DUI.

For those who may not remember, the second-year receiver was found asleep behind the wheel near Los Angeles International Airport and was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08%, the legal limit in California.

The 21-year-old was originally scheduled to appear in court this past Monday, Oct. 7, but the hearing has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 3, two days after Minnesota's Week 14 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.

Assuming Addison pleads guilty, he could face a $2,000 fine, lose his driver's license for up to six months, or face up to six months in jail.

As it pertains to the Vikings' season, the NFL often waits until a case concludes before handing out a suspension. And, again, Addison will undoubtedly be suspended, likely for three games, as that's been the typical punishment for first-time offenders in matters involving alcohol. So, he may actually avoid suspension until next season.

It's not that the Vikings can't win without him; they've already done so twice this season, as he missed a pair of games with an ankle injury. But they're obviously a better football team with him in the lineup, and they won't want to be without him late in the season.

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out, but one has to wonder if it would have been better for him to miss time now, given Minnesota's seemingly easy upcoming schedule. After their Week 7 matchup with the Lions (obviously not an easy game there), the Vikings face the Rams, Colts, Jaguars, and Titans, who've gone a combined 5-14 through the first five weeks.

Andrew Van Ginkel accomplished a feat no NFL player has before

Ahead of Week 5, I handed out a few first-quarter Vikings awards, and while it was a tough call, I chose Andrew Van Ginkel as the team's Defensive Player of the Year through the first four games.

And he quickly made me look like a genius in London as he intercepted Aaron Rodgers late in the first quarter and took it the other way 63 yards for a touchdown, marking his second pick-six of the season. The first came in Minnesota's Week 1 win over the New York Giants.

Not only did the pick help his team win, but it also put Van Ginkel into the NFL record books, as no other player in league history has ever had two scores off interceptions and recorded at least three sacks in his team's first five games of a season.

The Vikings have trailed for less than four minutes all season, which apparently means they're going to the Super Bowl

A 5-0 start doesn't always mean a team is Super Bowl-bound. In fact, in two of the five aforementioned instances in which the Vikings got off to such a start, they didn't even make the playoffs.

However, there is a stat that says Minnesota is essentially a lock for the Big Game.

As noted on several occasions by the broadcast team during the Vikings-Jets matchup, Minnesota has only trailed for a total of 3 minutes and 26 seconds this season, which, of course, is quite impressive.

However, since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, four teams have actually trailed for less time in the first five games.

The record belongs to the 2009 New Orleans Saints, who never trailed in their first five contests, which is absolutely absurd. Then you've got the 1984 Miami Dolphins (1:07), the 2023 San Francisco 49ers (1:45), and the 1999 St. Louis Rams (2:30).

All four of those teams went to the Super Bowl. While the Dolphins and Niners lost, the Saints and Rams hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, as did the 1998 Denver Broncos, who sit in fifth on the list at 4:23.

So that means the Vikings are a lock for Super Bowl 59, right? Obviously, that remains to be seen. But they're certainly on the right track. Minnesota returns to action in Week 7 with a high-profile NFC North showdown with the Detroit Lions.