The New England Patriots added the league-leading interceptions to their secondary in the offseason. Even at 33, Kevin Byard was a huge pickup for a team that had only 10 picks last season.
Byard picked off seven on his own, leading the league in interceptions for the second time in his career. He's logged 36 interceptions in his 11-year career, but he's still chasing his very own white whale: Aaron Rodgers.
Fortunately for him, Rodgers and the Steelers will be in town for Week 2. And with the Patriots looking to bounce back from a tough season opener, the former Chicago Bears DB has made it clear he wants to add Rodgers to his pelt collection.
Kevin Byard sets a big goal for the Patriots Week 2 matchup with the Steelers
“Definitely looking to get my first interception against Aaron Rodgers this week,” Byard said. “But, no, I think it’s going to be fun, and really I just want to win. I don’t care if I don’t get an interception. If we just get some turnovers on defense, I’ll be more than happy. But it’s definitely something that’s on my mind.”
Of course, this will be way easier said than done. Rodgers is famous, among many things, for his ball placement, decision-making, and taking elite care of the football. His 1.4 interception percentage is still the best in NFL history. Let that sink in.
That said, he is beatable. He's thrown 123 picks on 8,783 attempts, and he's no longer the player he once was. He had 12 picks in his final season with the Green Bay Packers, and he's thrown 11 and 7 in his last two healthy seasons.
Rodgers avoided turnovers in Week 1, but the Patriots' secondary poses a much bigger threat than the Atlanta Falcons'. With Byard fresh off breaking up eight passes and picking off another seven, the future Hall of Famer will be wise not to test him.
The Steelers have a talented wide receiver corps, led by DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., and Roman Wilson. But with Christian Gonzalez in the backfield, Rodgers will have to pick his poison.
Byrad is yet another former Al Harris alum. The Bears' defensive backs coach has helped turn guys like Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland into interception machines, and the Bears led the league in created takeaways last season.
As such, some regression may be due here. Also, players tend to age in dog years once they turn a certain age. That said, Byard's great recognition and anticipation instincts are still his cover letter in this league.
The Patriots must be much better as a whole after a late-game collapse in Week 1, but the defense looked the part against the defending champions, even when Sam Darnold was there. They didn't generate any turnovers, but they'll now step down in class against Mike McCarthy's squad.
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