3 things the Vikings need to improve heading into Week 8

Pass Coverage

There really is no way to sugar coat it, the Vikings’ pass coverage was horrible against the Lions in Week 7.

It was especially bad in the first half of the matchup and Minnesota’s corners are primarily to blame. Xavier Rhodes was probably the biggest culprit and he played so poorly, he was getting picked on later in the game.

It wasn’t just Rhodes though, Trae Waynes, and Mike Hughes were also getting beaten badly by the Detroit receivers they were lining up against. It wasn’t just that they were getting beat, but they were giving the Lions’ pass catchers huge cushions as they were literally five to seven yards away from the nearest receiver.

It was odd to see a Mike Zimmer defense give so much room to opposing wide receivers. There were times where the Lions wide receivers were just running wide open across the field. It did get a little better in the second half, but it was very disappointing to see the Vikings secondary give up so many big plays.

Rhodes’ poor play is the most troubling. He has been struggling all season long and the fact he hasn’t been able to adjust or improve is discouraging. The frustration he is feeling is palpable and it was clearly evident after Marvin Jones‘ fourth touchdown of the game when the Minnesota corner stormed off the field with his helmet off.

The Vikings have to get this figured out. The Redskins are long shots to come into U.S. Bank Stadium on Thursday and get a win, but their best bet may be to just consistently air it out and attack this Minnesota secondary. It’s likely Zimmer will make the necessary adjustments to shore this issue up, but until fans see it happen, it will remain a concern.