When Buccaneers’ receiver Mike Evans and Vikings’ cornerback Xavier Rhodes face off this Sunday it’ll be the match-up of the week – and arguably the entire season.
Way back in April when the Buccaneers’ schedule dropped, a few things jumped off the page to me. A Thursday night match-up versus Tom Brady, three divisional games to close the season, and a date in Lambeau with Aaron Rodgers were some examples. But the match-up that jumped out most of all was week three, against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings themselves didn’t interest me all that much, but their all-pro cornerback Xavier Rhodes certainly did.
For those unfamiliar with the former Florida State corner, Rhodes has emerged over the last few seasons as one of the top defensive backs in all football, a true shut-down player that can take away a teams’ best receiver. In “Game of Thrones”, the Dothraki warriors take braids of hair from their defeated enemies, and if this were the case with Rhodes, his braid would be quite long by now. Star receivers such as Odell Beckham, Allen Robinson, Antonio Brown, Deandre Hopkins, Julio Jones, T.Y. Hilton, and many others have all surrendered braids to Rhodes while matched up in single coverage.
Standing at 6’1 and weighing 218 lbs, Xavier Rhodes is pretty big for a cornerback, and his combo of length, strength and speed (
he hit 22 miles per hour on a 100 yard pick-six last season
) allows him to follow and match up with any type of receiver; last week he successfully dueled with 5’10 Antonio Brown, and the week before that shut down big-bodied
with the Saints. Rhodes rarely plays against a receiver that has the size/speed combo to overwhelm him, but with
coming to town this week, that might be about to change.
As we all know, Evans is a physical freak of nature, the likes we haven’t seen since Calvin Johnson. One game into his fourth season as a pro, the 6’5, 230 lb Evans simply cannot be guarded by the average corner without some form of help. Last week the Chicago Bears foolishly left Evans alone with Bears cornerback Marcus Cooper in the red zone, and like clockwork Evans snatched a pass for six points. Even elite corners like Patrick Peterson and Richard Sherman were beaten deep by Evans last season. He plays the ball expertly in the air, always timing his jump correctly, and has strong hands to secure the ball even with defenders draped all over him. Evans is a mismatch in the truest sense of the word, and the most unique player Rhodes has ever faced off against.
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So, with both fighters weighed in, who has the advantage?
Based on recent history, I’m forced to lean towards Mike Evans in this heavy-weight bout. As I mentioned before, Evans has gotten the best of cornerbacks with equally or more decorated resumes than Xavier Rhodes, and at no fault to the corners in some cases. What really tilts the scales in Evans’ favor is his perfect chemistry with quarterback Jameis Winston. No receiver in football was targeted as much as Evans was last season, and he was the most successful receiver in terms of receptions for a first down as well. Winston’s trust in Evans is such that even the slightest bit of surrendered ground by Rhodes will mean a pass is incoming.
Arizona’s Patrick Peterson, similar in build to Rhodes, surrendered a touchdown to Evans last season, but overall did a fine job of bottling up Evans, for the same reason he bottles up nearly every receiver he faces: he’s big, and track-speed fast. We know that Rhodes shares these qualities (to a slightly lesser degree), but we also know that even a six time pro-bowl corner like Peterson wasn’t able to keep Evans out of the end zone. Is Rhodes up for the challenge? I, for one, can’t wait to see how it plays out in what should be the most entertaining match-up of the week.
Next: Buccaneers vs Vikings: Five game changing players
What do you think about Mike Evans versus Xavier Rhodes, Buccaneer fans? Who has the advantage? Sound off in the comments, and be sure to check out my winners and losers column after the game, where I’ll declare the victor!