Dumped by the Vikings after a couple of lackluster seasons, Xavier Rhodes has landed in Indianapolis. In this third game with the Colts, Rhodes also has landed a significant weekly award.
He’s the AFC’s defensive player of the week for Week Three, and for good reason. Rhodes had a pair of interceptions in the Indianapolis 36-7 win over the Jets.
On the first drive of the game, Rhodes picked off Jets quarterback Sam Darnold and returned the ball 44 yards for a touchdown.
Rhodes’ second interception was actually more impressive. With the Jets approaching pay dirt and the Colts leading 17-7, Rhodes pretended to abandon his man and cover a player closer to the line of scrimmage, baiting Darnold into throwing to the uncovered target in the left corner of the end zone. He then sprang back for the interception, keeping the Jets from potentially cutting the lead to three.
It’s easy to fault the Vikings for letting Rhodes go, but the reality is that Rhodes hadn’t been playing in Minnesota the way he played on Sunday. If he had, he’d still be playing for the Vikings.