Only one person would have felt confident predicting that Xavier McKinney would get an interception in his first five games with the Green Bay Packers. That person is McKinney himself.
“Nah, I wouldn’t have thought you (were) crazy at all,” McKinney said after becoming the first NFL player since the 1970 merger to have an interception in his first five games with a team in Sunday’s 24-19 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
“I went into the season, I’m on a mission … Everything that I didn’t get before, that’s what I’m coming for.”
McKinney, who joined the Packers in the offseason after playing four seasons with the New York Giants, reached this milestone with 8:10 left in the third quarter. He intercepted Matthew Stafford’s overthrown pass intended for Tutu Atwell at the Green Bay 18-yard line and returned it for 28 yards.
Although he was playing deep in the field, McKinney made a great break on the play and trusted his instincts, even though Stafford had looked him off for most of the game.
“It was probably the most looked off I’ve been this year. So it was difficult, but I know if I trust it, my craft and my instincts, I was gonna be able to get one,” McKinney said.
Stafford acknowledged that McKinney read the play well and admitted he might have put too much on the pass.
The Packers turned the interception into a 7-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft, increasing their lead to 24-13. McKinney also recovered a fumble earlier in the quarter, which helped set up Green Bay’s go-ahead touchdown.
With this achievement, McKinney tied Irv Comp’s record of five straight interceptions from 1943, marking the longest interception streak in franchise history.
