7 takeaways from the Vikings win over the Broncos in Week 11

Rhodes is currently playing his last season in Minnesota

It’s unfortunate, but Xavier Rhodes is not the shutdown corner that he was for the Vikings just two years ago.

Minnesota used to have the luxury of not having to worry about an entire side of the field because it was being closed down by Rhodes. They no longer have this advantage this season as their No. 1 corner has become more of a liability than ever before.

Rhodes has been victimized by a number of opposing receivers this year and on Sunday it was Denver’s Courtland Sutton who did the damage.

Sutton finished the matchup against the Vikings with five catches for 113 yards and Rhodes was the guy covering the young receiver for most of the afternoon. The performance by Sutton on Sunday helped confirm that the veteran corner’s days are likely numbered in Minnesota.

In the past, someone like the Broncos receiver, who uses his size (6-foot-4, 216) more than his speed to get open, was a great matchup for Rhodes. He seemed to excel more in the past when he was able to utilize his physicality more in coverage.

But it hasn’t made a difference who Rhodes is covering this season, he just can’t keep up. There isn’t a whole lot that can be fixed this year, but him returning in 2020 as the top corner on the Vikings’ depth chart doesn’t seem very likely.