Who Leads the NFL in Interceptions?
The NFL season is in full swing and we’re keeping track of who leads the league in interceptions. Check out our latest blog post to find out!
NFL Interceptions Leaders
Through Week 10 of the 2020 NFL season, X player leads the league in interceptions with X picks. X is followed by Y with Y picks and Z with Z picks.
2017 NFL Interceptions Leaders
The 2017 NFL season is underway and there are already plenty of players making a case for themselves as the league’s best interceptors. Here are the current leaders in interceptions, according to NFL.com:
1. Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota Vikings – 4 INTs
2. Janoris Jenkins, New York Giants – 3 INTs
3t. Aqib Talib, Denver Broncos – 2 INTs
3t. Harrison Smith, Minnesota Vikings – 2 INTs
3t. Marcus Peters, Kansas City Chiefs – 2 INTs
3t. Reggie Nelson, Oakland Raiders – 2 INTs
As you can see, there are a few players tied for third place with two interceptions each. This list is sure to change as the season goes on and more players have the opportunity to rack up interceptions. Keep an eye on these leaders and see if anyone can manage to take the top spot by the end of the season!
2016 NFL Interceptions Leaders
The 2016 NFL season is underway, and there are already a few clear leaders in the interception race. As of Week 4, here are the players who have the most interceptions:
1.Marcus Peters, Kansas City Chiefs: 6 interceptions
2.Casey Hayward, San Diego Chargers: 5 interceptions
3.Bashaud Breeland, Washington Redskins: 4 interceptions
4.Tie: Aqib Talib, Denver Broncos/Reshad Jones, Miami Dolphins: 3 interceptions
Peters, in his second year with the Chiefs, has been a revelation at cornerback. He leads the NFL in both interceptions and passes defensed (16), and is a big reason why Kansas City has one of the best defenses in the league. Hayward, meanwhile, has been a steadying force for the Chargers secondary; he’s tied for second in the NFL with five picks.
Breeland has been a solid player for Washington since being drafted in 2014; he had two interceptions last season and already has four this year. Talib and Jones are both Pro Bowl-caliber defenders; Jones is perhaps best known for his hard-hitting style, while Talib is considered one of the best coverage cornerbacks in the game.
2015 NFL Interceptions Leaders
The 2015 NFL season was the 96th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL), and the 50th of the Super Bowl era. The season began on Thursday, September 10, 2015, with the annual kickoff game featuring the defending Super Bowl XLIX champion New England Patriots hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers. The season concluded with Super Bowl 50, the league’s championship game, on Sunday, February 7, 2016, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California between Broncos and Panthers.
Peyton Manning was the NFL’s most valuable player (MVP) for a record fifth time in his career.
NFL Interceptions by Position
It’s no surprise that the position that leads the NFL in interceptions is defensive backs. They have the most opportunity to make plays on the ball. But who’s leading the pack? As of right now, it’s a tie between Damontae Kazee of the Falcons and Minkah Fitzpatrick of the Steelers with 4 interceptions each.
NFL Interceptions by Cornerbacks
In the NFL, there are two types of defensive backs: corners and safeties. Corners are the smaller and faster of the two, and their primary responsibility is to cover receivers. Safeties are bigger and stronger, and they usually line up closer to the line of scrimmage. They often come up to support the run defense or drop back in coverage.
In 2019, there were a total of 35 quarterbacks who threw 10 or more interceptions. Out of those 35 quarterbacks, 19 were intercepted by cornerbacks and 16 were intercepted by safeties. The following table shows the top 10 cornerbacks and safeties in the NFL in terms of interceptions:
Cornerbacks:
1. Jaire Alexander (Green Bay Packers) – 7
2. Marlon Humphrey (Baltimore Ravens) – 6
3. Stephon Gilmore (New England Patriots) – 6
4. Tre’Davious White (Buffalo Bills) – 5
5. Darius Slay (Philadelphia Eagles) – 5
6. Jalen Ramsey (Los Angeles Rams) – 4
7= Desmond King (Los Angeles Chargers) – 4
7= Jamel Dean (Tampa Bay Buccanneers) – 4
9= Casey Hayward (Los Angeles Chargers) – 3
9= Jimmy Smith (Baltimore Ravens) – 3
NFL Interceptions by Safeties
Safeties have picked off the most passes in the NFL this season with 9 interceptions. Patriots safety Devin McCourty leads the way with 4 picks, while Tampa Bay’s Chris Conte, Baltimore’s Eric Weddle, and Detroit’s Glover Quin each have 2 interceptions.
NFL Interceptions by Linebackers
In recent years, linebackers have become more active in pass coverage, leading to more interceptions. In 2016, linebackers had a total of 12 interceptions, which was the most of any position. Of those 12 interceptions, 6 were made by outside linebackers and 6 were made by inside linebackers.
The leading interceptor among linebackers in 2016 was Deion Jones of the Atlanta Falcons, who had 4 interceptions. Jamie Collins of the New England Patriots and Ryan Shazier of the Pittsburgh Steelers each had 2 interceptions.
NFL Interceptions by Team
The New England Patriots have the most interceptions in the NFL with 25. The New York Jets are in second place with 20 interceptions. The Buffalo Bills are in third place with 18 interceptions.
NFL Interceptions by Division
The following table lists the NFL interceptions leaders by division.
NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC West
:———-:|:———-:|:———-:|:———-
Cowboys | Packers | Panthers | Cardinals
Eagles | Lions | Falcons | 49ers
Redskins | Bears | Buccaneers| Rams
Giants | Vikings | Saints | Seahawks
AFC East | AFC North | AFC South
:———-:|————-|————-
Bills | Ravens | Jaguars
Dolphins | Browns | Titans
Patriots | Bengals | Texans Colts
NFL Interceptions by Conference
In the NFL, there are two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The AFC consists of 16 teams, while the NFC consists of 14 teams.
In terms of interceptions, the AFC has more teams than the NFC. In fact, the AFC has more than double the number of interceptions than the NFC. The NFC has a total of 33 interceptions, while the AFC has a total of 71 interceptions.
The New England Patriots lead the way in interceptions for the AFC with 15. The Pittsburgh Steelers are second with 11, and the Baltimore Ravens are third with 10. For the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys lead the way with 6 interceptions, followed by the Seattle Seahawks with 5, and the Green Bay Packers with 4.
