Photo By Brian Curski
Written By Chris Schad
It was a crisp night in Mankato when the Minnesota Vikings had their annual passing scrimmage back in early August. As the fans gathered in the stands to see what Teddy Bridgewater could do for the offense, they had no idea that the play of the night would come from the defensive side of the ball.
Among one of the first runs for the starters, Matt Cassel dropped back and threw a deep ball intended for Jarius Wright. As he went for a play that would have made the ‘98 Vikings proud, Xavier Rhodes had other ideas and made a diving, tumbling interception that brought the crowd to their feet.
It was an amazing play, but it didn’t earn the adulation of head coach Mike Zimmer, who called Rhodes out for being out of position. Such was the give and take of training camp for the second-year corner who would precede a spectacular play with a mental gaffe.
That trend continued as the season began as Rhodes became a whipping boy for opposing wide receivers. Throughout the first ten weeks of the season, throws in his direction had registered a 82.9 quarterback rating and a 54.2 percent catch rate according to Pro Football Focus. Such numbers aren’t terrible, but they’re not what the Vikings need in order for the secondary to be successful.
However, in his 24th career game, Rhodes recorded his first interception against the Chicago Bears and hasn’t looked back. Since Week 11, Pro Football Focus has Rhodes as their second-best coverage cornerback behind Darrelle Revis. Those numbers are backed up with a 22.2 opposing quarterback rating with balls thrown in his direction.
How has this happened? It’s fair to say that Rhodes has stopped thinking and simply trusts his instincts. Former Viking safety Kurt Coleman referred to this as the “Aha Moment.”
“I think once you understand the playbook and what coaches wants you to play within that, I think that’s when you allow yourself to really let your natural ability to play,” Coleman said to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in August.
By reacting instead of thinking, Rhodes has been able to shut down the likes of Jordy Nelson, Kelvin Benjamin and Eric Decker the past three weeks. That’s allowed the Vikings’ defense to improve in the second half of the season and prepares the young corner for another big test when Minnesota heads to Detroit to face the Lions and Calvin Johnson.
Rhodes and Johnson haven’t crossed paths too often since he came into the league in 2013, but the Vikings did hold Megatron to four catches and 37 yards in his NFL debut. Unfortunately, Rhodes was being eased into the Viking secondary at the time and didn’t see much one-on-one action with someone who is highly regarded as the best receiver in the game. Johnson has also missed the last two meetings with injuries.
If Rhodes can get the best of Johnson on Sunday, it’s another step in the right direction and will fuel the belief that he can be a shutdown corner in the NFL. Either way, he’s starting to figure out how to play in this league and could be a huge cornerstone for a rapidly improving defense for years to come.