Rhodes’ decline over the past three seasons
The numbers are astonishingly bad, but sometimes it’s a case of a player having a rough year. Unfortunately, that too has been given to Rhodes with his 2018 performance, which was a slight dropoff from his All-Pro performance in 2017.
That’s to be expected when a player plays at an elite level, but a look at his overall stats from the past three seasons shows a player that is falling off a cliff.
What is more frustrating for the Vikings and their fans is that there doesn’t seem to be an obvious explanation of what is ailing Rhodes. While he leaves games frequently due to injury, it always seems like he makes a miracle comeback moments later or even just misses a play or two to regain his composure.
It seems bad to accuse any player of faking injuries, but with most of them coming moments after Rhodes allows a big play, it’s hard not to wonder if everything is a case of getting in his own head.
The scariest part of this decline is that Minnesota hasn’t even played a full season yet. Through 12 games, Rhodes has allowed more catches than he did in either 2017 or 2018, has seen his completion percentage skyrocket by 32 percent, and has allowed more touchdowns (four) than the previous two seasons combined.