5 biggest turkeys for the Minnesota Vikings this season

Xavier Rhodes

Xavier Rhodes is a turkey that’s red little button thing is way popped out because it is so done. Rhodes wasn’t good at the midpoint of the season and sadly his struggles continue. It’s to the point that opposing teams are well aware of his issues and clearly are targeting him.

That was Denver’s plan in the Vikings’ last game. They put Cortland Sutton on the struggling veteran and Sutton could pretty much do what he wanted. He went on to have five receptions for 113 yards. He was a huge reason the Broncos got out to an early 20-0 lead, and why they nearly upset the highly favored Vikings.

One would think that by now Mike Zimmer would’ve figured out how to fix Rhodes’s problems. He’s supposed to be this great cornerback whisperer, yet his “shutdown” corner continues to struggle. Rhodes clearly has lost a step with his speed, and his confidence is shattered. Who knows if there is a fix for this, but teams are going to continue to go after him until he strings together a couple of solid games.

Maybe in the bye week, Zimmer and his defensive staff figured out what Rhodes’ issues are and have a plan in store to fix them. From a layman’s perspective, it just seems with his poor coverage and tackling that Rhodes has reached the point of decline in his career, but hopefully, that isn’t the case.