The 49ers and Minnesota Vikings are more banged up than they let on. After 16 games -- 17, in the Vikings' case -- nagging injuries are a given.
Take the case of Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes.
Rhodes was a full participant in practice this week, despite dealing with ankle and shoulder injuries. He should start Saturday, and a veteran offensive coach told The Athletic's Mike Sando earlier this week that you can expect the 49ers to take advantage in their NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Levi's Stadium.
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“If Xavier Rhodes plays, [49ers coach Kyle Shanahan] will go after him,” the coach told Sando in his Thursday column. “They are going to try to put pressure on to get the safeties down in the box, which is what [Vikings coach Mike] Zimmer does, and then take shots off play-action. If Zimmer is dropping everyone out, they will throw checkdowns to the backs and kill them with the backs. If you watch Minnesota, they are either a pressure team trying to play it tight to stop the run, or they put everybody up there and they drop them out.”
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Rhodes has had an up-and-down season in the Twin Cities. Pro Football Focus gave the two-time Pro Bowl corner a subpar 46.4 grade during the regular season, and he played a season-low 14 defensive snaps in Week 15.
The Vikings held the high-octane New Orleans Saints to just 227 net passing yards in last week's NFC Wild Card Game upset. However, they'll be without safety Jayron Kearse on Saturday, after he aggravated a toe injury and sustained a right-knee injury last week, so Rhodes' injuries and shortcomings could be more of a focal point Saturday.