The Vikings had a clunker of a 2020 opener Sunday for a variety of reasons. One of them: They had a lot of roster turnover, particularly on defense, and their new additions on that side of the ball struggled mightily in a 43-34 loss to the Packers.
A lot of those prominent former players are on other teams now. In case you were wondering, here's how seven of them fared Sunday:
*Xavier Rhodes: The 30-year-old former first-round pick and a staple of the Vikings' defense for seven seasons was the target of fan ire (and quarterback throws) in 2019 as he became a symbol of a Vikings pass defense that slipped. He signed with the Colts in the offseason, and Week 1 … was rough.
Pro Football Focus graded Rhodes No. 60 out of 73 corners who played at least 43 snaps in Week 1 as Jacksonville rallied to defeat the Colts 27-20. On the Jaguars' go-ahead touchdown, it was a far cry from Rhodes closed.
Rhodes was nowhere near the ball on an easy throw and catch. He already has some in Indianapolis wondering if the one-year deal he signed was a bad idea.
That said, Vikings corner Holton Hill — who played a lot of the snaps on the outside that Rhodes would have played Sunday against the Packers — graded No. 73 of 73 corners.
*Mackensie Alexander: The underappreciated Alexander had a strong debut with the Bengals, grading No. 12 of 73 corners as Cincinnati held the Chargers to 16 points and QB Tyrod Taylor to a 75.4 passer rating. That the Bengals lost 16-13 was more on the offense than defense.
Alexander shouldered a big load, playing 62 defensive snaps and was counted on extra perhaps because another ex-Viking, Trae Waynes, was hurt during Bengals training camp and is expected to miss most of the season.