Xavier McKinney equals former Samford star, chasing ex-Alabama teammate

Three games into his first season with the Green Bay Packers, safety Xavier McKinney is having a ball – one a game, actually.

In each of the Packers’ games this season, McKinney has intercepted a pass.

“I’m ecstatic,” McKinney said after Sunday’s 30-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans. “It’s a great team, great organization. They’ve got a great coaching staff. Just great all around. Being in the building has been great. The fans are amazing. And then we’ve got a whole bunch of guys that are just hungry.

“Obviously, like I’ve been saying, we’ve got a goal that we want to get to and that we want to accomplish. We know we’ve got a long way to go still. But every week we come in here and work, and it shows, you know, games like this. Every Sunday, it’s showing, so we’re just going to keep continuing to do what we do and keep working hard.”

McKinney kept his interception streak going on Sunday by picking off a pass by Tennessee quarterback Will Levis intended for former Alabama teammate Calvin Ridley at the Green Bay 18-yard line with 2:08 to play.

McKinney intercepted former Alabama teammate Jalen Hurts in the Packers’ 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 6 and Anthony Richardson in Green Bay’s 16-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 15.

McKinney became the first player to record an interception in each of his first three games with a team since cornerback Cortland Finnegan in 2012. After spending his first six NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans, the former Samford standout started his two seasons with the St. Louis Rams with a three-game interception streak.

During the NFL’s AFC/NFC era, the longest interception streak to start a season is six games, accomplished most recently by another former Alabama teammate of McKinney’s, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs. Diggs started the 2021 NFL season with at least one interception in each of the first six games. Brian Russell of the Minnesota Vikings in 2003 and Barry Wilburn with the Washington Redskins in 1987 also opened the season with an interception in six straight games.

McKinney entered the 2024 season with nine interceptions in 49 regular-season games with the New York Giants. He joined the Packers as a free agent in March for a four-year, $67 million contract.

“I expected to do this,” McKinney said. “I know what I want to get and what I want to do and what I want to accomplish. And, you know, I’m going to just keep working hard and keep preparing the right way every week. And, you know, I’m going to keep trying to create these opportunities for myself and for this team to go out there and be successful. But I expect to do this, and I’m going to just keep working and keep grinding.”

McKinney is the only NFL player with three interceptions in 2024. The Packers have come up with three takeaways in each game this season.

“We expect to play hard,” McKinney said. “We expect to execute. And we know if we do that, then we’ll get rewarded in some way, so our main objective is to win these games. That’s what we’re trying to do. And, you know, obviously, getting turnovers and getting all these sacks, all this stuff helps us as a defense and as a team, so we’re just going to keep doing that, man. Just keep playing hard and executing.”