GREEN BAY – Packers safety Xavier McKinney has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 5.
It's the first time a Packers player has been honored as NFC Defensive Player of the Week since Rasul Douglas won the award for his four passes defensed and a 33-yard interception returned for a touchdown during a 36-28 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12 of the 2021 season.
It's the second time McKinney has claimed NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He was previously honored as a member of the New York Giants for his two interceptions, including one returned for a TD, during a 23-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9 of the 2021 season.
McKinney recorded both a fumble recovery and interception in Green Bay's victory over the Rams in Los Angeles, with the Packers turning both takeaways into touchdowns. The fumble was forced by teammate Kingsley Enagbare.
Both of McKinney's takeaways occurred in the third quarter Sunday, making him the first Packers defender with both a fumble recovery and interception in the same quarter since Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson in 2011 (Week 2 at Carolina).
The interception was his league-leading fifth of the season, tying his single-season career high set in 2021 with the Giants. He has one in each game thus far in 2024, the first Packers defender with an INT streak of five games since Irv Comp in 1943.
A free-agent signing by the Packers this past March, McKinney also became the first player since the 1970 league merger to have an interception in each of his first five games with a new team.
His streak has actually reached six, dating back to his final game with the New York Giants in Week 18 of 2023. He had two INTs in that game, giving him seven in his last six contests.
