It was always going to be tough for Xavier McKinney to top his first season with the Green Bay Packers, and indeed his second year in green and gold was more understated.
McKinney’s eight picks in 2024 were the most by a Packer since Charles Woodson, who had nine back in 2009. Interceptions were harder to come by for Green Bay as a defense in 2025, and for McKinney it was no different.
It would therefore be easy to say his season was a relative disappointment, but the underlying numbers suggest it was anything but.
When looking at McKinney’s rankings among eligible safeties in 2025 compared to 2024 in a range of statistics, there is plenty to feel good about from his second season with the Packers.
The lower interception count is notable, with only two in 2025, one of which he should have batted down instead on a fourth down versus the Browns.
In spite of that though, his overall coverage was actually better last season than in 2024. McKinney posted his career best mark in reception rate allowed at just 56.3%, which ranked seventh among 103 eligible safeties, and a career best ranking in yards allowed per snap, finishing 10th.
What he lacked in interceptions he made up for in pass break ups, producing nine of them, which is only three fewer than he had in the rest of his career combined. McKinney’s forced incompletion rate of 31% led the league by a distance, as the next-highest rate was 24%.
Those stats offer a pretty clear explanation of McKinney’s season in coverage. He was still around the ball plenty, but just did not finish with interceptions as often. McKinney allowed one touchdown in 2025, which was his first since the 2022 season.
His ranking in yards per reception was unimpressive in 2024 and 2025, which comes with the territory of being the deep safety in a defense. When McKinney does give up a catch, it is likely to be further downfield than other safeties who play closer to the line of scrimmage.
McKinney showed growth in run game from 2024, posting the lowest missed tackle rate (4.6%) since his rookie year, when he played only 211 snaps. His missed tackle rate ranked third best among safeties.
He was also more active, making 76 solo and 28 assisted tackles per PFF, up from 65 and 23 respectively in 2024.
As with Evan Williams, there was more onus put on Green Bay’s safeties by former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to be involved in the run game. McKinney played the most box snaps (419) of his career in 2025.
McKinney’s stop rate has been low in both seasons with the Packers. This is a similar situation to his poor ranking in yards per reception, in that it is more circumstantial than an indictment on his play.
As the last line of defense, McKinney is more often putting the ‘safe’ in ‘safety’, rather than flying down towards the line of scrimmage as Williams did regularly in 2025. When McKinney is making a tackle, he is usually putting out a fire, rather than making an impact play.
While he would surely have loved to produce more splash plays in 2025, the data shows McKinney does not need to change his game, and was arguably a better player down to down in year two with the Packers.
If he keeps playing the way he has been, there is a good chance the ball finds him more in 2026, and Green Bay will be hoping he can turn those opportunities into game changing plays, as he did so often a couple of years ago.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Did Packers’ Xavier McKinney improve in 2025 despite quieter season?
Reporting by Mark Oldacres, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mark Oldacres, Packers Wire | USA TODAY Network
