GREEN BAY – Packers safety Xavier McKinney has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October.
The 6-foot, 201-pound safety had 19 tackles, two interceptions, three passes defensed, a sack and fumble recovery during Green Bay's four-game October win streak.
With his interception against the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 6, McKinney became the first NFL player since the 1970 merger to have an INT in his first five games with a new team. McKinney also matched Irv Comp's 81-year-old team record for most consecutive games with a pick.
McKinney ended the month with his league-leading sixth interception of the season when the fifth-year veteran picked off quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the second quarter of Sunday's game against Jacksonville. The Packers converted that takeaway into their first touchdown during an eventual 30-27 win.
McKinney is the only Packers defender to play all 511 snaps this year, recording 36 tackles, seven passes defensed, six INTs, one sack and one forced fumble. He's tied for the second-most games with an INT (six) in the first eight contests behind only Washington DB Lemar Parrish (seven games in 1979).
Signed as an unrestricted free agent in March, McKinney is the first Packers player since cornerback Willie Buchanon in 1978 to post six interceptions in the team's first eight games of the season.
McKinney won NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week 5 for his performance against the Rams. He's the first Packers player to win NFC Defensive Player of the Month honors since linebacker De'Vondre Campbell in October 2021.
