Packers safety Xavier McKinney, showing the full package of athleticism, instincts and intelligence, has intercepted a pass in four consecutive games.
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Xavier McKinney intercepted five passes during his final two seasons at Alabama. With the New York Giants, he had seasons of five and three interceptions.
So, when the Green Bay Packers signed McKinney in free agency, they added a proven playmaker.
But nobody could have expected McKinney’s historic start with the Packers.
During Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, McKinney struck again. With the Vikings closing in on a 35-7 lead, McKinney showed his elite instincts and range by intercepting Sam Darnold’s deep shot to running back Aaron Jones.
McKinney incredibly has an interception in all four games with his new team – a feat unprecedented in Packers history.
Since 1970, McKinney became the second NFL player in 46 years with an interception in each of his first four games with his new team. The last to do it was Otis Smith for the Jets in 1995. McKinney is the first safety to pull off the feat since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
Including two interceptions in the 2023 finale with the Giants, McKinney has a five-game streak with an interception.
“Not since high school,” McKinney said of his four-game streak. “But it don’t mean nothing when you lose. So, we just got to be cleaner. I got to be better. We just got to be better as a unit and as a team moving forward.”
Tellingly for McKinney, the question about his individual achievement elicited the shortest answer of his postgame interview session.
On the play, Jones ran a corner route. By the time he made his move to the pylon at about the 10-yard line, McKinney already was on the move to prevent a touchdown.
“If you put too much air on the ball or you stare somebody down, he’s going to go get it,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said on Thursday. “He sees it so fast and he reacts so fast.”
On film, Hafley said he likes to watch the wide copy so he can watch the quarterback’s face and when he hits the final step of his dropback. As Darnold threw the ball, McKinney hit an extra gear to make the play.
“When you watch X and you freeze it and you watch it in really slow motion, he’s breaking before the hand is coming off the ball,” Hafley said. “That’s how well he anticipates stuff. And then he’s got great hands and he can go up and track it. It’s not just ability because he studies it, too. That guy watches a lot of tape.”
While the interceptions against the Colts and Titans were low-degree-of-difficulty plays, McKinney showcased all his skills in picking off Darnold. The play survived a replay review, with McKinney bobbling the ball before his elbow hit the turf out of bounds.
According to Stathead, McKinney joined Nick Collins in 2009 as the only Packers players to record an interception in four consecutive games dating to 1970. Since 2000, only four NFL players have done it, most recently by the Cowboys’ Trevon Diggs in 2021.
According to the Packers, Irv Comp picked off passes in five consecutive games in 1943.
It wasn’t enough, though. The Vikings scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions and Green Bay missed two field goals and threw two interceptions on its first four possessions to fall behind 28-0.
“Obviously, we didn’t finish the job today,” McKinney said. “We didn’t start fast how we wanted to. We didn’t execute well early in the game, and it cost us later in the game. Obviously, when you’re playing a good team, it’s going to be hard to make mistakes early in the game and be able to come back from that. So, we just got to do better. Just execution-wise, being cleaner in our details and just getting off to a better start – a faster start.”
With the loss, the Packers fell to 2-2. They are two games behind the Vikings, who are 4-0 after sweeping the 49ers, Texans and Packers the last three weeks.
“It’s very frustrating because I know, and we all know, what we are capable of in this locker room,” he said. “We know what we’re capable of defensively and that was not our standard, and we got to be better and we will be better. And it’s just as simple as that. I got to be better. We all hold ourselves accountable and that’s just kind of what it is. Moving forward we will be better.”