Welcome to our morning-after Vikings blog, where we’ll revisit every game by looking at three players who stood out, three concerns for the team, three trends to watch and one big question. Here we go:
Since the Vikings started asking Xavier Rhodes to shadow opposing teams’ top receivers, beginning with Calvin Johnson late in the 2014 season, the cornerback has made a habit of slowing down some of the game’s top offensive threats. But there might not be any Pro Bowl receiver, against whom Rhodes has been as effective, as the Falcons’ Julio Jones.
The first time he squared off against Jones — covering him for part of the game while he was still staying exclusively at right cornerback — Rhodes allowed only three catches for 33 yards in the Vikings’ 2014 win.