Through the first nine weeks of his 2024 All-Pro season, Xavier McKinney had six interceptions. In the Packers’ Week 9 win over the New England Patriots, McKinney recorded his fourth and fifth interceptions of the season and could be on his way to another All-Pro selection.
McKinney set the tone early when he intercepted Drake Maye on the second play of the game and returned it 36 yards to the Patriots’ 14-yard line, setting up a Jordan Love touchdown scramble two plays later.
“He’s phenomenal, man, that was pretty cool to watch him go out there, and he does a great job playing the ball and being able to anticipate some of the throws,” Matt LaFleur said of McKinney’s performance on Monday. “He’s got tremendous ball skills, and that really jump-started
the game, that second play of the game. He gets a pick and takes it all the way down, where we’re in striking distance there, and then Jordan did a great job on that scramble.”
With under six minutes remaining in the second quarter, New England trailed by 10 points and was looking to cut the deficit to one score. Then, on 2nd-and-7 from the Packers’ 44, Maye tried to hit tight end Eli Raridon over the middle, but McKinney made a nice read to jump the route and secure his second pick of the day.
The offense needed just a few plays to extend the lead to 24-7 as Love connected with Christian Watson on a 43-yard completion to set up a short touchdown run for Kaleb Johnson.
“I think when we’re able to affect the game early, that changes the momentum of the game,” McKinney said. “We’ll get those turnovers, and that allows the offense to get the ball back and go down there and score. Obviously, you’re able to see the momentum shift early from the jump. When we’re able to do that, knowing who we have on the opposite side of the ball, knowing who our quarterback is, knowing who our weapons are, it’s always going to be a good deal for us.”
McKinney’s two picks resulted in two touchdowns that helped the Packers build their first-half lead and eventually come away with an 18-point win over New England. When you include Isaiah McDuffie’s second-half forced fumble and recovery, Green Bay forced four turnovers and scored 22 points on the ensuing offensive drives.
With Sunday’s win, the Packers have improved to 6-3 and are second in the league in takeaways. Turnovers can be game-altering, and Green Bay needs to continue to create and take advantage of opportunities if they hope to keep up in a crowded NFC playoff race.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Xavier McKinney continues to be a game-changer for Packers' defense
