Titans safety Kevin Byard stole the spotlight Sunday afternoon in a game that really wasn’t worth watching otherwise. Byard picked off Joe Flacco twice, helping lead the Titans to a 23-20 Week 9 win against the Ravens.
Who is Titans safety Kevin Byard, the NFL’s leader in interceptions?
It’s a name you better learn. He’s good.
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On his second interception of the afternoon, he and his teammates celebrated by doing the Temptations’ signature dance:
“We actually didn’t get a chance to finish it,” Byard said of the celebration, via the Tennesseean. “It wasn’t the best, but we’re going to get back to the lab and work on it.”
Sunday was the second consecutive game in which Byard has had multiple interceptions. In Week 7 against the Browns, he had three interceptions.
Byard now leads the NFL in interceptions with six, and he’s one of the reasons the Titans are leading the AFC South right now. But he’s not exactly a well-known player. Here’s what you need to know about him.
Where did he play college football?
Middle Tennessee State University, and he was a stud there, too. Byard left the school as its all-time leader in career interceptions with 19. He was a four-time all-conference selection and was a third-round pick for the Titans in the 2016 NFL draft.
In his rookie season, he played in all 16 games, starting seven of them. He didn’t force a turnover, but has added that to his arsenal this season.
He’s been on fire lately.
Byard has played every single snap on defense for the Titans this season, and that consistency has clearly resulted in him heating up.
In Week 4 against the Texans, he got his first interception of the season. He followed that up with a fumble recovery against the Dolphins. Then two weeks later, he caught fire. Against the Browns in Week 7, he intercepted three passes and then snagged two more picks this week.
First, he was in the right place at the right time:
And the second time, he read the ball the entire way:
His five interceptions in the past two games is tied for the most by an NFL player in consecutive games since the 1970 merger.
The other four players to do that: Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Haynes in 1976, Willie Buchanon in 1976, Albert Lewis in 1978, and DeAngelo Hall in 2010. That’s pretty good company.
But Byard is just doing his job. “I don’t think I’m doing anything special,” Byard said via the Tennesseean. “Quarterbacks just keep trying me. … Anytime you get an opportunity to make a play, you’ve got to make it every time. And I ain’t dropping it.”
He likened his hot streak to NBA 2K. When you think about it, it’s the only appropriate comparison you could make, considering he’s been putting up video game numbers.
”I don’t know if you’ve ever played (NBA) 2K,” Byard said after the game. “But in the game you start making a lot of shots and your guy turns red — you get that ring around you. It means he’s hot. Well, I kind of feel like I’m in a zone.
His team expected good things out of him.
“We knew he was going to be one of our best players, most dominant players,” Titans linebacker Wesley Woodyard said of Byard in late October. “KB is growing, and he’ll keep getting better. It is always amazing to see a young kid like that to start to come of age and take over. He is going to keep getting better every game.”
“I’ve been around a lot of great players, and he has definitely blossomed into one of those greats, the way he is playing this year,” Brian Orakpo said after the win over the Ravens. “We are going to keep following his lead because he is making some play out there.”
Of course, praise is no good unless your coach has your back.
“He’s in the right place all the time,” head coach Mike Mularkey said during their Week 8 bye. “I try to tell these guys, it’s not that hard; just be where you’re supposed to be and plays will come and that’s what he does. (He) doesn’t make it any harder than it has to be. It’s a matter of being there, but then making them is the big part. He’s made them.”
He’s setting his sights high.
“I hope I can keep doing things that Ed Reed didn’t do,” Byard said after the Ravens game, via ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe.
“If I can do that, I’ll be on my way.”
He’s got a ways until he’s future Hall of Famer Ed Reed. But Byard is making a name for himself. His six interceptions on the season put him halfway to the Titans’ all-time record of 12. He’s got just enough time to eclipse that record, especially at his current pace.
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