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Packers safety Xavier McKinney says interceptions aren't just about passion

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GREEN BAY − Xavier McKinney had ventured to the line of scrimmage before, but not like this. Seven players lined up shoulder to shoulder, a picket fence. The Green Bay Packers secure themselves in a two-point position on the left edge.

That third-and-6 in the first quarter on Sunday wasn't McKinney's first pass rush of the season, but he hadn't lined up at the rim. The Houston Texans didn't know what to do. Before the snap, McKinney watched as Stefon Diggs pointed to the other side of the field. Tight end Dalton Schultz peeked in and failed to check the edge, a sign that the Texans were abandoning their defense.

McKinney had free rein to sack quarterback CJ Stroud.

“At first glance,” McKinney said, “I knew. Because obviously no one blocked me. I somehow thought that wouldn't be the case because all the looks we had shown were my first rush out. The other rushes I had were indoors. So we didn't show it. I felt like I was in the middle of the game, they didn't really expect me to push out.”

It's a game that defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley started working into the Packers' practice a few weeks ago. At the time, McKinney was in the midst of a historic interception streak, catching a pass in five straight games to start the season. Hafley knew quarterbacks would eventually stop throwing deep. For one of the NFL's best safeties to continue making game-changing plays, he had to get creative.

Xavier McKinney takes pass rushing seriously

McKinney has been the center fielder this season, but it has been two games since he touched the football. His rare flexibility allowed Hafley to consider other areas. Like the edge. McKinney long ago made a habit of looking to the best for pass rush picks. He spent the entire offseason discussing the pass rush and building an arsenal with Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary.

He just needed the right time to show it.

“When I was in New York,” McKinney said, “I didn’t really have a chance to hurry up. And I have some. I'm not going to lie, you know I'm a humble guy, but I've got some good (expletive) in my bag when it comes to rushing. I can really hurry up. When you see D-linemen doing (swear words), I like to pick their brains. Because I like to rush it.

“So if I can choose RG or KC, like what moves should I do here, what moves should I do when I'm outside, when I'm inside, I've learned a lot.”

McKinney talks about pass rushing with the same passion that other defensive backs bring to interceptions. It's not trust. When the Packers signed him as a free agent after he spent the first four seasons of his career with the New York Giants, they saw a safety who could do everything in the job description.

The interceptions get attention. Opening the season with five picks catapulted McKinney to the top of the NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting. McKinney can't ask him to choose his favorite part of the safety job.

“I’ve been asked that question since the merger,” McKinney said. “My answer will always be: There is nothing. I enjoy doing them all. For me it always depends on the week. For example, if there's a really good tight end matchup, I want that matchup. If I feel like I can make a lot of plays in the post, then I want to play in the post.

“It really just depends on the week.”

Xavier McKinney forced opposing offenses to get out of his way

It's not uncommon for NFL defensive backs to provide versatility. Few share McKinney's joy in doing everything at once. The versatility he provides is more than just interception, but the reason McKinney's candidacy as the league's best defender may well be justified. Typically the award goes to a pass rusher, not a defensive back. When a defensive back starts intercepting passes, quarterbacks stop throwing to them. It's harder to hide from a pass rusher.

When a safety can do as much as McKinney, it's hard to hide from him. Stroud tried last week and declined to test McKinney. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray did the same thing a week earlier. Hafley, a lifelong defensive backs coach who spent one season with Hall of Fame cornerback Darrelle Revis with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, knows McKinney's chances of intercepting the football will inevitably diminish.

McKinney's reputation in the deep middle continues to change the game.

“Did you see a ball being thrown anywhere near him?” Hafley said. “This is a huge impact. If you look back over the last two games, did you actually see the ball being thrown down the field against us? No. So I texted him the other night and said, “Don’t get bored.” And I mean it. Because it affects the game in so many other ways. He makes tackles in run defense. I put more pressure on him. His reporting was excellent.

“But it affects the game because they don’t throw the ball deep anymore. This affects the game as much as any other. I told him it was a sign of the utmost respect. When you're around guys like (Darrelle) Revis and some really good players and the ball stops going to them. I mean, just don’t get bored.”

Ultimately, quarterbacks have to throw deep. It's almost impossible to win in today's league without a vertical passing game, as the Packers showed against the Texans and Cardinals over the last two weeks. If McKinney gets caught napping on the back end, that could change the game, too. A safety's responsibility to prevent the big play never ends.

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For McKinney, the chance to play multiple roles in the Packers' defense is an antidote to boredom. It keeps him busy, invigorated, and sustained. At least until the quarterbacks decide to test him again.

“It will come,” McKinney said. “I'm not going to get too worked up about it and I'm not going to try to denounce the issue. I know the ball will find me eventually. It's just a matter of when, but it will come. As far as I’m concerned, I’m just going to keep the same process and preparation and hopefully they’ll start throwing something on the field.”

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