Xavien Howard and J.C. Jackson Had Legendary 2020 Seasons

by Chase Stuart on February 9, 2021

in History, Statgeekery

In the modern NFL, the passing game — and the passing offense — is king. With completion percentages, passing yards, and passing touchdowns continuing to hit all-time highs, and interceptions reaching all-time lows, it’s easy to only focus on each team’s passing game. But you may have missed not one, but two of the greatest defensive record-breaking seasons of all time.

The NFL record by a defensive player for interceptions in a season is 14, set by Dick “Night Train” Lane in 1952. A bad faith argument sometimes notes how remarkable it was that Lane did that in a 12-game season, ignoring the fact that interceptions were more than three times more likely per pass attempt back in the early ’50s. And while pass attempts are going up, because the interception rate has dropped so significantly, the amount of interceptions in each game has significantly decreased over time:

When Lane intercepted 14 passes, the NFL average interception rate was 7.4% and his Rams faced 360 pass attempts. To try and make life fair across eras and teams (some defenses face lots of pass attempts, some face far fewer), let’s use a set of “baseline” numbers of a 3.5% league interception rate and a defense facing 500 passes. For Lane, this means we multiply 14 by (3.5% divided by 7.4%) and multiply that result by (500 divided by 360); that means Lane would have 9.2 interceptions in a more neutral environment. That is still a great number, but it’s not the best ever.

For a long time, the best mark belonged to Bill Dudley in 1946. Playing for the Steelers, Dudley had 10 interceptions when his team faced only 162 pass attempts! Of course, the average INT rate in 1946 was 9.1%, so that makes things just a bit less impressive. For Dudley, if we multiply 10 by (3.5% / 9.1%) x (500 / 162), we get an adjusted result of 11.9 interceptions. In other words, what Dudley did was slightly more impressive than Lane, even with 4 fewer interceptions, in large part because Dudley’s team faced less than half as many pass attempts!

One neat thing to keep in mind: you may not love my “baseline” numbers of 3.5% interception rate and 500 pass attempts. But changing those numbers does not change the order of the top seasons, just the magnitude. So even with different numbers, Dudley’s season will always top Lane’s.

In 2005, Ty Law had what looked to be the best interception season ever. Playing for the Jets, he picked off 10 passes at a time when the league average rate was just 3.1%, and New York faced only 463 passes. Law’s 10 interceptions pro-rated to 12.3 adjusted interceptions (10 x (3.5% / 3.1%) x (500 / 463) = 12.3). That mark stood the test of time for well over a decade, and it didn’t seem like it was going to be seriously challenged anytime soon. In 2019, Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore — en route to winning the AP DPOY award — led the NFL in adjusted interceptions with just 8.53. ^[1]He picked off 6 passes, tied with two other players for the lead league, but his Patriots faced only 536 passes, the lowest number of any player with six interceptions. The math: 6 x (3.5% / 2.3%) x (500 / 536) = 8.53 adjusted interceptions.

But in 2020, another pair of AFC East players did the unthinkable. In New England, Gilmore’s teammate J.C. Jackson intercepted 9 passes, with 3 coming in the 5 games Gilmore missed. That is a remarkable number, particularly since the Patriots faced only 494 pass attempts and the league average interception rate in 2020 was a minuscule 2.2%. Jackson had an adjusted interception total of 14.54, easily passing Law’s 2005 mark. Here’s another way to think about it how remarkable it was: there were only 395 interceptions in 2020, so Jackson actually was responsible for 1 in every 44 interceptions thrown in the NFL last season; in 2005, there were 506 interceptions thrown, so Law was responsible for 1 in every 51 interceptions. ^[2]In 1952, there were 297 interceptions, so Lane was responsible for 1 in every 21 interceptions thrown. But remember: there were only 12 teams back then, and getting 1 in every 21 interceptions in a … Continue reading

Jackson’s season should have been celebrated as one of the great defensive performances in modern history. Unfortunately, it was not only largely ignored, it wasn’t even the best defensive performance by a cornerback in his own division. Miami’s Xavien Howard had 10 interceptions last year! ^[3]So Howard was the man behind 1 in every 39.5 interceptions last year! The Dolphins faced more passes (545) than New England, but not enough to offset the extra pick; Howard had 14.65 adjusted interceptions — (10 x (3.5% / 2.2%) x (500 / 545) = 14.65) — making it the best season in NFL history by this methodology.

Here are the top 300 defensive interception performances in pro football history. As always, the table is fully sortable. And while Howard and Jackson didn’t quite have the McGwire/Sosa buzz during the season, that’s only because the modern game makes interceptions so difficult. Because after adjusting for difficulty level, I am not sure if anyone has ever done it any better.

Rk	Name	Year	Team	INT	Opp Att	Lg INT Rate	Mult	Adjusted INTs
1	Xavien Howard	2020	MIA	10	545	2.2%	146.5%	14.65
2	J.C. Jackson	2020	NWE	9	494	2.2%	161.6%	14.54
3	Ty Law	2005	NYJ	10	463	3.1%	123%	12.30
4	Bill Dudley	1946	PIT	10	162	9.1%	119.3%	11.93
5	Deltha O'Neal	2005	CIN	10	519	3.1%	109.7%	10.97
6	Jack Butler	1957	PIT	10	234	6.9%	108.1%	10.81
7	Nnamdi Asomugha	2006	OAK	8	410	3.2%	134.5%	10.76
8	Aeneas Williams	1994	ARI	9	465	3.1%	119.5%	10.76
9	Paul Krause	1964	WAS	12	406	4.8%	89.4%	10.73
10	Asante Samuel	2006	NWE	10	518	3.2%	106.5%	10.65
11	Ed Reed	2008	BAL	9	528	2.8%	117.8%	10.6
12	Dan Sandifer	1948	WAS	13	289	7.4%	81.3%	10.57
13	Ronde Barber	2001	TAM	10	493	3.4%	105.4%	10.54
14	Champ Bailey	2006	DEN	10	538	3.2%	102.5%	10.25
15	Xavien Howard	2018	MIA	7	508	2.4%	145.3%	10.17
16	Tim Jennings	2012	CHI	9	592	2.6%	112.4%	10.11
17	Antonio Cromartie	2007	SDG	10	555	3.1%	100.6%	10.06
18	Jimmy Patton	1958	NYG	11	311	6.2%	91.5%	10.06
19	Darius Slay	2017	DET	8	570	2.5%	124.9%	9.99
20	Stevie Brown	2012	NYG	8	534	2.6%	124.6%	9.96
21	Mark Carrier	1990	CHI	10	495	3.6%	99.5%	9.95
22	Darryl Williams	1997	SEA	8	462	3%	124.4%	9.95
23	Emmitt Thomas	1974	KAN	12	408	5.2%	82.4%	9.89
24	Lem Barney	1967	DET	10	312	5.7%	98.9%	9.89
25	Jairus Byrd	2009	BUF	9	519	3.1%	109.4%	9.85
26	Mike Reinfeldt	1979	HOU	12	465	4.6%	81.8%	9.82
27	Ed Reed	2004	BAL	9	501	3.2%	109%	9.81
28	Tony Greene	1974	BUF	9	311	5.2%	108.1%	9.73
29	Marcus Peters	2015	KAN	8	607	2.4%	121%	9.68
30	Richard Sherman	2013	SEA	8	524	2.8%	120.7%	9.65
31	Everson Walls	1982	DAL	7	289	4.4%	137.6%	9.63
32	Darren Sharper	2005	MIN	9	533	3.1%	106.8%	9.61
33	Ryan McNeil	1997	STL	9	543	3%	105.8%	9.52
34	Sammy Baugh	1943	WAS	11	193	10.5%	86.3%	9.49
35	Lester Hayes	1980	OAK	13	524	4.6%	73%	9.49
36	Charles Woodson	2009	GNB	9	540	3.1%	105.1%	9.46
37	Richard Sherman	2012	SEA	8	564	2.6%	117.9%	9.43
38	Anthony Henry	2001	CLE	10	552	3.4%	94.1%	9.41
39	Kevin Byard	2017	TEN	8	605	2.5%	117.6%	9.41
40	Tony Parrish	2003	SFO	9	514	3.3%	104.4%	9.39
41	Patrick Peterson	2012	ARI	7	497	2.6%	133.8%	9.37
42	Pat Fischer	1964	STL	10	389	4.8%	93.4%	9.34
43	Casey Hayward	2016	SDG	7	580	2.3%	133%	9.31
44	Bill Bradley	1972	PHI	9	318	5.3%	103.3%	9.3
45	Night Train Lane	1952	RAM	14	360	7.4%	65.9%	9.22
46	Lindon Crow	1956	CRD	11	287	7.3%	83.4%	9.17
47	Monte Jackson	1976	RAM	10	397	4.8%	91%	9.1
48	Paul Krause	1975	MIN	10	360	5.3%	91%	9.1
49	Mel Blount	1975	PIT	11	396	5.3%	82.7%	9.1
50	Reggie Nelson	2015	CIN	8	646	2.4%	113.7%	9.1
51	Brian Russell	2003	MIN	9	531	3.3%	101%	9.09
52	Deltha O'Neal	2001	DEN	9	515	3.4%	100.9%	9.08
53	Mark McMillian	1997	KAN	8	507	3%	113.3%	9.07
54	Bobby Dillon	1955	GNB	9	259	6.8%	100%	9
55	Brian Kelly	2002	TAM	8	510	3.1%	112.4%	8.99
56	Dave Baker	1960	SFO	10	293	6.7%	89.7%	8.97
57	Ken Riley	1976	CIN	9	364	4.8%	99.2%	8.93
58	Ray Brown	1974	ATL	8	302	5.2%	111.4%	8.91
59	Darren Sharper	2009	NOR	9	574	3.1%	98.9%	8.9
60	Scott Case	1988	ATL	10	504	3.9%	88.7%	8.87
61	Quintin Demps	2016	HOU	6	522	2.3%	147.8%	8.87
62	Howard Hartley	1951	PIT	10	266	7.4%	88.7%	8.87
63	Damontae Kazee	2018	ATL	7	585	2.4%	126.2%	8.83
64	Eric Weddle	2011	SDG	7	478	2.9%	126%	8.82
65	Willie Williams	1968	NYG	10	364	5.5%	88.2%	8.82
66	Asante Samuel	2009	PHI	9	580	3.1%	97.9%	8.81
67	Everson Walls	1981	DAL	11	511	4.3%	79.7%	8.77
68	Jerry Norton	1960	STL	10	300	6.7%	87.6%	8.76
69	Mark Lee	1986	GNB	9	448	4%	97.3%	8.76
70	Thom Darden	1974	CLE	8	308	5.2%	109.2%	8.74
71	Jack Christiansen	1957	DET	10	290	6.9%	87.2%	8.72
72	Darren Sharper	2000	GNB	9	557	3.3%	96.6%	8.69
73	Tony Greene	1977	BUF	9	316	5.7%	96.4%	8.68
74	Trumaine Johnson	2015	STL	7	597	2.4%	123%	8.61
75	Bibbles Bawel	1955	PHI	9	272	6.8%	95.3%	8.57
76	Richard Johnson	1990	HOU	8	460	3.6%	107.1%	8.57
77	Charles Woodson	2006	GNB	8	515	3.2%	107.1%	8.57
78	Dick Westmoreland	1967	MIA	10	349	5.9%	85.7%	8.57
79	O.J. Atogwe	2007	STL	8	523	3.1%	106.8%	8.54
80	Stephon Gilmore	2019	NWE	6	536	2.3%	142.2%	8.53
81	Eric Turner	1994	CLE	9	587	3.1%	94.7%	8.52
82	Walt Harris	2006	SFO	8	518	3.2%	106.5%	8.52
83	Bobby Boyd	1964	BAL	9	385	4.8%	94.3%	8.49
84	Otto Schnellbacher	1948	NYY	11	341	6.7%	77%	8.47
85	Keith Lyle	1997	STL	8	543	3%	105.8%	8.47
86	Sam Madison	1998	MIA	8	504	3.3%	105.7%	8.45
87	Terrell Buckley	1998	MIA	8	504	3.3%	105.7%	8.45
88	Rashean Mathis	2006	JAX	8	523	3.2%	105.5%	8.44
89	Kwamie Lassiter	2001	ARI	9	556	3.4%	93.4%	8.41
90	Ty Law	1998	NWE	9	570	3.3%	93.4%	8.41
91	Charles Woodson	2008	GNB	7	518	2.8%	120.1%	8.4
92	Nick Collins	2008	GNB	7	518	2.8%	120.1%	8.4
93	Tory James	2004	CIN	8	520	3.2%	105%	8.4
94	Goose Gonsoulin	1960	DEN	11	387	5.9%	76.4%	8.4
95	Kyle Fuller	2018	CHI	7	615	2.4%	120%	8.4
96	A.J. Bouye	2017	JAX	6	509	2.5%	139.8%	8.39
97	Tom Keane	1953	BAL	11	321	7.2%	76%	8.36
98	Don Burroughs	1960	PHI	9	283	6.7%	92.8%	8.36
99	Nate Odomes	1993	BUF	9	582	3.3%	92.4%	8.32
100	Keith Lyle	1996	STL	9	558	3.4%	92.4%	8.31
101	Orlando Thomas	1995	MIN	9	620	3.1%	92.1%	8.29
102	Nathan Vasher	2005	CHI	8	550	3.1%	103.5%	8.28
103	Jack Christiansen	1953	DET	12	354	7.2%	68.9%	8.27
104	Fred Glick	1963	HOU	12	424	6%	68.9%	8.27
105	Tre'Davious White	2019	BUF	6	553	2.3%	137.8%	8.27
106	Rod Woodson	1993	PIT	8	521	3.3%	103.2%	8.26
107	Kenny Easley	1984	SEA	10	521	4.1%	82.4%	8.24
108	Johnny Robinson	1970	KAN	10	408	5.2%	82.4%	8.24
109	Ron Bolton	1973	NWE	6	240	5.3%	137.2%	8.23
110	Kwamie Lassiter	1998	ARI	8	518	3.3%	102.8%	8.22
111	Glover Quin	2014	DET	7	592	2.5%	117.4%	8.22
112	Tyrone Braxton	1996	DEN	9	566	3.4%	91.1%	8.2
113	Bill Bradley	1971	PHI	11	407	5.8%	74.4%	8.18
114	Dick Anderson	1973	MIA	8	322	5.3%	102.3%	8.18
115	Don Doll	1949	DET	11	312	7.5%	74.4%	8.18
116	Joey Browner	1990	MIN	7	422	3.6%	116.8%	8.17
117	Troy Polamalu	2008	PIT	7	533	2.8%	116.7%	8.17
118	Joe Lavender	1976	WAS	8	354	4.8%	102.1%	8.16
119	Lem Barney	1969	DET	8	350	4.9%	102%	8.16
120	Dick LeBeau	1970	DET	9	371	5.2%	90.6%	8.15
121	Doug Evans	2001	CAR	8	510	3.4%	101.9%	8.15
122	Eugene Robinson	1993	SEA	9	595	3.3%	90.4%	8.14
123	Will Sherman	1955	RAM	11	351	6.8%	73.8%	8.12
124	John Harris	1981	SEA	10	502	4.3%	81.2%	8.12
125	Corey Chavous	2003	MIN	8	531	3.3%	101%	8.08
126	Samari Rolle	2000	TEN	7	466	3.3%	115.4%	8.08
127	James Hunter	1976	DET	7	313	4.8%	115.4%	8.08
128	Dexter McCleon	2000	STL	8	534	3.3%	100.7%	8.06
129	Rod Woodson	2002	OAK	8	570	3.1%	100.5%	8.04
130	William Thomas	1995	PHI	7	499	3.1%	114.4%	8.01
131	Rosey Taylor	1963	CHI	9	353	5.6%	88.9%	8
132	Ed Reed	2007	BAL	7	490	3.1%	114%	7.98
133	Norb Hecker	1956	WAS	8	240	7.3%	99.7%	7.98
134	Lyle Blackwood	1977	BAL	10	382	5.7%	79.8%	7.98
135	Ed Reed	2010	BAL	8	596	3%	99.2%	7.94
136	Tom Janik	1967	BUF	10	377	5.9%	79.3%	7.93
137	Kurt Coleman	2015	CAR	7	650	2.4%	113%	7.91
138	Willie Clay	1995	DET	8	580	3.1%	98.4%	7.87
139	Nate Wright	1976	MIN	7	323	4.8%	111.8%	7.83
140	Ronnie Lott	1991	RAI	8	513	3.5%	97.5%	7.8
141	Mel Renfro	1969	DAL	10	458	4.9%	78%	7.8
142	Ryan McNeil	2001	SDG	8	535	3.4%	97.1%	7.77
143	Marcus Peters	2016	KAN	6	598	2.3%	129%	7.74
144	Asante Samuel	2010	PHI	7	536	3%	110.3%	7.72
145	Jimmy Allen	1981	DET	9	475	4.3%	85.8%	7.72
146	Ken Houston	1971	HOU	9	354	5.8%	85.5%	7.7
147	Bobby Boyd	1965	BAL	9	400	5.1%	85.4%	7.69
148	Dick Lynch	1963	NYG	9	368	5.6%	85.3%	7.67
149	Jack Butler	1958	PIT	9	334	6.2%	85.2%	7.67
150	Tom Keane	1952	DTX	10	310	7.4%	76.5%	7.65
151	Deron Cherry	1988	KAN	7	410	3.9%	109.1%	7.63
152	Thomas Howard	2007	OAK	6	439	3.1%	127.2%	7.63
153	Anthony Harris	2019	MIN	6	601	2.3%	126.8%	7.61
154	Larry Wilson	1966	STL	10	443	5.2%	75.9%	7.59
155	Frank Reagan	1947	NYG	10	276	8.4%	75.9%	7.59
156	Michael Griffin	2008	TEN	7	575	2.8%	108.2%	7.57
157	Darren Sharper	2002	GNB	7	531	3.1%	107.9%	7.56
158	Chris Gamble	2005	CAR	7	528	3.1%	107.8%	7.55
159	Stephon Gilmore	2016	BUF	5	511	2.3%	151%	7.55
160	Sam Madison	1999	MIA	7	484	3.4%	107.8%	7.55
161	Willie Williams	1995	PIT	7	531	3.1%	107.5%	7.52
162	Dave Whitsell	1967	NOR	10	410	5.7%	75.2%	7.52
163	Erik McMillan	1988	NYJ	8	476	3.9%	93.9%	7.52
164	Eric Weddle	2017	BAL	6	569	2.5%	125.1%	7.5
165	Felix Wright	1989	CLE	9	540	3.9%	83.1%	7.48
166	Marcus Coleman	2003	HOU	7	502	3.3%	106.9%	7.48
167	Barry Wilburn	1987	WAS	9	527	4%	83%	7.47
168	Gill Byrd	1990	SDG	7	462	3.6%	106.7%	7.47
169	Deion Sanders	1993	ATL	7	505	3.3%	106.5%	7.46
170	Carl Lee	1988	MIN	8	480	3.9%	93.2%	7.45
171	David Fulcher	1989	CIN	8	482	3.9%	93.1%	7.45
172	Ray Buchanan	1994	IND	8	598	3.1%	93%	7.44
173	Champ Bailey	2005	DEN	8	613	3.1%	92.9%	7.43
174	Aeneas Williams	1995	ARI	6	461	3.1%	123.8%	7.43
175	Minkah Fitzpatrick	2019	PIT	5	514	2.3%	148.3%	7.41
176	Joe Haden	2019	PIT	5	514	2.3%	148.3%	7.41
177	Don Paul	1956	CLE	7	226	7.3%	105.9%	7.41
178	Milt Davis	1957	BAL	10	342	6.9%	74%	7.4
179	Eugene Robinson	1992	SEA	7	428	3.9%	105.6%	7.39
180	Ronnie Lippett	1986	NWE	8	473	4%	92.1%	7.37
181	Jerry Davis	1950	CRD	9	269	8%	81.7%	7.35
182	Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie	2016	NYG	6	630	2.3%	122.5%	7.35
183	Mike Wagner	1973	PIT	8	359	5.3%	91.7%	7.34
184	Marcus Williams	2015	NYJ	6	601	2.4%	122.2%	7.33
185	Wayne Haddix	1990	TAM	7	471	3.6%	104.6%	7.32
186	Bob Jeter	1967	GNB	8	337	5.7%	91.5%	7.32
187	Gary Barbaro	1977	KAN	8	333	5.7%	91.5%	7.32
188	Darren Perry	1994	PIT	7	532	3.1%	104.5%	7.31
189	Gary Barbaro	1980	KAN	10	523	4.6%	73.1%	7.31
190	Willie Wood	1962	GNB	9	355	6.1%	81.2%	7.31
191	Lemar Parrish	1979	WAS	9	470	4.6%	80.9%	7.29
192	Dick Anderson	1968	MIA	8	342	5.6%	91%	7.28
193	Rod Perry	1976	RAM	8	397	4.8%	91%	7.28
194	Bob Nussbaumer	1949	CRD	12	383	7.5%	60.6%	7.27
195	Tony Parrish	2002	SFO	7	552	3.1%	103.8%	7.27
196	Bobby Dillon	1957	GNB	9	314	6.9%	80.6%	7.25
197	John Symank	1957	GNB	9	314	6.9%	80.6%	7.25
198	Thomas DeCoud	2012	ATL	6	551	2.6%	120.7%	7.24
199	Jake Scott	1974	MIA	8	372	5.2%	90.4%	7.23
200	Dean Derby	1959	PIT	7	285	6%	103.2%	7.22
201	Ashley Ambrose	1996	CIN	8	571	3.4%	90.3%	7.22
202	Ronnie Lott	1986	SFO	10	604	4%	72.2%	7.22
203	Spec Sanders	1950	NYY	13	396	8%	55.5%	7.21
204	Eddie Jackson	2018	CHI	6	615	2.4%	120%	7.2
205	Dennis Thurman	1981	DAL	9	511	4.3%	79.7%	7.18
206	Donnell Woolford	1992	CHI	7	442	3.9%	102.3%	7.16
207	Ray Ramsey	1953	CRD	10	341	7.2%	71.6%	7.16
208	Brig Owens	1968	WAS	8	359	5.5%	89.4%	7.15
209	Mike Sensibaugh	1972	KAN	8	368	5.3%	89.3%	7.14
210	Maurice Hurst	1994	NWE	7	545	3.1%	102%	7.14
211	Dwight Hicks	1981	SFO	9	514	4.3%	79.3%	7.13
212	Paul Krause	1968	MIN	7	315	5.5%	101.9%	7.13
213	Reggie Nelson	2016	OAK	5	541	2.3%	142.6%	7.13
214	Audray McMillian	1992	MIN	8	508	3.9%	89%	7.12
215	Richie Petitbon	1963	CHI	8	353	5.6%	88.9%	7.11
216	Devin McCourty	2019	NWE	5	536	2.3%	142.2%	7.11
217	J.C. Jackson	2019	NWE	5	536	2.3%	142.2%	7.11
218	Tashaun Gipson	2014	CLE	6	587	2.5%	118.4%	7.11
219	Brian Walker	2000	MIA	7	530	3.3%	101.5%	7.1
220	Patrick Surtain	2003	MIA	7	529	3.3%	101.4%	7.1
221	Night Train Lane	1954	CRD	10	356	6.9%	70.8%	7.08
222	Ed Reed	2003	BAL	7	531	3.3%	101%	7.07
223	Tom Colella	1946	CLE	10	299	8.3%	70.6%	7.06
224	Issiac Holt	1986	MIN	8	494	4%	88.2%	7.06
225	Spider Lockhart	1968	NYG	8	364	5.5%	88.2%	7.05
226	Don McNeal	1982	MIA	4	226	4.4%	176%	7.04
227	Bobby Dillon	1953	GNB	9	312	7.2%	78.2%	7.04
228	Xavier Rhodes	2016	MIN	5	548	2.3%	140.8%	7.04
229	Casey Hayward	2012	GNB	6	568	2.6%	117.1%	7.03
230	Aeneas Williams	1997	ARI	6	491	3%	117%	7.02
231	W.K. Hicks	1970	NYJ	8	383	5.2%	87.8%	7.02
232	Dre' Bly	2005	DET	6	487	3.1%	116.9%	7.02
233	Tom Flynn	1984	GNB	9	551	4.1%	77.9%	7.01
234	O.J. Atogwe	2008	STL	5	444	2.8%	140.1%	7
235	Joe Haden	2010	CLE	6	507	3%	116.6%	7
236	Mark Kelso	1988	BUF	7	448	3.9%	99.8%	6.99
237	Troy Polamalu	2010	PIT	7	593	3%	99.7%	6.98
238	Herm Edwards	1982	PHI	5	285	4.4%	139.6%	6.98
239	Kevin King	2019	GNB	5	546	2.3%	139.6%	6.98
240	Dave Grayson	1968	OAK	10	446	5.6%	69.8%	6.98
241	Jordan Hicks	2016	PHI	5	553	2.3%	139.5%	6.98
242	Brandon McDonald	2008	CLE	5	446	2.8%	139.4%	6.97
243	Don Doll	1953	WAS	10	350	7.2%	69.7%	6.97
244	Eric Allen	1993	PHI	6	463	3.3%	116.2%	6.97
245	Bobby Bryant	1969	MIN	8	410	4.9%	87.1%	6.97
246	Dainard Paulson	1964	NYJ	12	473	6.4%	58.1%	6.97
247	Henry Jones	1992	BUF	8	520	3.9%	86.9%	6.96
248	Dick LeBeau	1965	DET	7	344	5.1%	99.3%	6.95
249	Darryll Lewis	1994	HOU	5	400	3.1%	139%	6.95
250	Nate Clements	2002	BUF	6	495	3.1%	115.8%	6.95
251	Kermit Alexander	1968	SFO	9	416	5.5%	77.1%	6.94
252	Levi Johnson	1976	DET	6	313	4.8%	115.4%	6.93
253	Kurt Schulz	2000	DET	7	544	3.3%	98.9%	6.92
254	Don Doll	1950	DET	12	381	8%	57.7%	6.92
255	Frank Seno	1947	BOS	10	303	8.4%	69.1%	6.91
256	Dale Carter	1992	KAN	7	458	3.9%	98.7%	6.91
257	Bobby Watkins	1982	DET	5	288	4.4%	138.1%	6.91
258	Terry McDaniel	1994	RAI	7	564	3.1%	98.6%	6.9
259	Sammy Knight	2001	NOR	6	452	3.4%	114.9%	6.9
260	Deron Cherry	1986	KAN	9	569	4%	76.6%	6.89
261	Phillip Buchanon	2003	OAK	6	467	3.3%	114.9%	6.89
262	Otis Smith	1995	NYJ	6	497	3.1%	114.8%	6.89
263	Marcus Trufant	2007	SEA	7	568	3.1%	98.3%	6.88
264	Irv Comp	1943	GNB	10	242	10.5%	68.8%	6.88
265	Otto Schnellbacher	1951	NYG	11	377	7.4%	62.6%	6.88
266	Everson Walls	1985	DAL	9	549	4.2%	76.4%	6.87
267	Woodley Lewis	1950	RAM	12	385	8%	57.1%	6.85
268	Don Bishop	1961	DAL	8	326	6.3%	85.6%	6.85
269	Lemar Parrish	1980	WAS	7	392	4.6%	97.6%	6.83
270	Ken Stone	1978	STL	9	428	5.4%	75.7%	6.81
271	W.K. Hicks	1965	HOU	9	416	5.6%	75.7%	6.81
272	Aqib Talib	2010	TAM	6	521	3%	113.5%	6.81
273	Dave Waymer	1986	NOR	9	576	4%	75.7%	6.81
274	Kyle Arrington	2011	NWE	7	619	2.9%	97.3%	6.81
275	Greg Jackson	1994	PHI	6	490	3.1%	113.4%	6.81
276	Bob Forte	1947	GNB	9	277	8.4%	75.6%	6.8
277	Frank Reagan	1948	NYG	9	311	7.4%	75.6%	6.8
278	Darrelle Revis	2009	NYJ	6	501	3.1%	113.3%	6.8
279	Jim Cason	1949	SFO	9	318	7.3%	75.5%	6.8
280	Tre Boston	2017	LAC	5	524	2.5%	135.8%	6.79
281	Eric Allen	1989	PHI	8	529	3.9%	84.9%	6.79
282	Pat Fischer	1963	STL	8	370	5.6%	84.8%	6.78
283	Darius Leonard	2019	IND	5	562	2.3%	135.6%	6.78
284	Cedric Brown	1981	TAM	9	541	4.3%	75.3%	6.78
285	Devin McCourty	2010	NWE	7	611	3%	96.8%	6.78
286	Reshad Jones	2015	MIA	5	542	2.4%	135.5%	6.78
287	Merton Hanks	1997	SFO	6	509	3%	112.9%	6.77
288	Tommy James	1950	CLE	9	292	8%	75.3%	6.77
289	Darren Carrington	1993	SDG	7	556	3.3%	96.7%	6.77
290	Ray Buchanan	1998	ATL	7	551	3.3%	96.6%	6.77
291	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	2016	GNB	5	571	2.3%	135.1%	6.76
292	Mario Clark	1977	BUF	7	316	5.7%	96.4%	6.75
293	Rolland Lawrence	1975	ATL	9	437	5.3%	74.9%	6.74
294	Mel Renfro	1964	DAL	7	377	4.8%	96.3%	6.74
295	Nate Clements	2004	BUF	6	486	3.2%	112.4%	6.74
296	Tommy Morrow	1962	OAK	10	371	7%	67.4%	6.74
297	Tramon Williams	2010	GNB	6	527	3%	112.2%	6.73
298	Charlie Ford	1972	CHI	7	342	5.3%	96.1%	6.72
299	Jimmy Hitchcock	1998	MIN	7	555	3.3%	96%	6.72
300	Emlen Tunnell	1957	NYG	6	226	6.9%	111.9%	6.72

As always, please leave your thoughts in the comments.

References[+]

References
↑1	He picked off 6 passes, tied with two other players for the lead league, but his Patriots faced only 536 passes, the lowest number of any player with six interceptions.
↑2	In 1952, there were 297 interceptions, so Lane was responsible for 1 in every 21 interceptions thrown. But remember: there were only 12 teams back then, and getting 1 in every 21 interceptions in a 12-team league is less impressive than 1 in every 44 interceptions in a 32-team league.
↑3	So Howard was the man behind 1 in every 39.5 interceptions last year!

Tagged as: Interceptions

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