Rhodes proves up to the challenge vs. Megatron

DETROIT – The Vikings lost a game but may have found the cover corner to shadow Lions receiver Calvin Johnson and help return them to relevance in the NFC North next season.

Yeah, the Vikings fell to 6-8 with a 16-14 loss at Ford Field. But having already been eliminated from the playoffs, it was Xavier Rhodes' somewhat surprising, but much anticipated debut as a prototypical cover corner that stood out as first-year coach Mike Zimmer tries to piece together a team that can compete with the Lions (10-4) and Packers (10-4), two teams that he's now 0-4 against.

"I called [Rhodes] on Monday and said, 'I need you to take care of this guy this week,' " Zimmer said. "He said, 'I'm ready.' "

Zimmer tried to keep it under wraps. Asked if he would move Rhodes around to match up with Johnson, Zimmer said, "I doubt that." But in the practice period open to reporters on Friday, Rhodes was shadowing the scout team's version of Johnson.

Johnson, who was covered by Rhodes everywhere except in the slot, ended up catching four passes for 53 yards and no touchdowns. He caught three of five balls thrown to him for 49 yards with Rhodes on him. One pass for 4 yards came with linebacker Gerald Hodges on him.

In the locker room after the game, Rhodes was handed a stat sheet from the game. He winced.

"Man," he said. "I had it as a goal to hold him under 50 yards. He got 53."

"I've been here since '06 and it's the first time for me," he said. "The plan all week was to give Xavier the opportunity and trust that it would be good for our defense. And it was. He's as good a cover corner as there is in the league."

Rhodes did have some help throughout the game. He got some deep safety help from Harrison Smith, including one deep ball that was incomplete. And when Johnson moved into the slot, he was covered by cornerback Captain Munnerlyn or a mixture of Smith with help from a linebacker taking away the slant passing lanes.

Overall, the Vikings held Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford to 153 yards passing. That's Stafford's season low and his second-fewest passing yards in a full game since the end of the 2009 season.

When the Vikings led 14-0, the Lions had zero first downs. And they wouldn't register a first down until the 8:54 mark of the second quarter.

Eventually, the Lions found ways to shake the 6-5, 236-pound Johnson free after he caught only one pass for 4 yards in the first half. His most damaging catch was a 23-yarder that put the Lions in position for the winning field goal. He ran a crossing route and was able to lead Rhodes into getting tangled up with Hodges just long enough to get open and make the grab.

It appears that won't be as easy going forward with the 6-1, 210-pound Rhodes blossoming in his second season.