7 takeaways from the Vikings win over the Lions in Week 14
By Adam Patrick
Thankfully, Rhodes sees his snaps dwindle
Xavier Rhodes has seen his career trending downward ever since he was selected as a First-Team All-Pro in 2017. In less than two seasons, Rhodes has gone from arguably the best at his position to one of the worst corners in the NFL.
On Sunday, Mike Zimmer and the Vikings tried something new that included Rhodes splitting time out on the field with fellow corner Mike Hughes.
Zimmer pretty much rotated Rhodes and Hughes out on the field for every other series against the Lions and the two corners each accumulated 29 defensive snaps before both left the matchup due to injuries in the second half.
Minnesota’s new strategy seemed to work well on Sunday as they held Detroit to just 161 passing yards, the third-fewest single-game total they’ve allowed all season long.
Zimmer said after this week’s win that he didn’t think the injuries to Rhodes or Hughes were too serious, so one should expect this rotation with the two corners to probably continue for the rest of the year.