Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard joins rare company with 10-interception season
There was no reason in the moment for Xavien Howard to celebrate his 10th interception of the year. It was the third quarter of a potentially season-ending blowout loss, but once the Buffalo Bills’ 56-26 beatdown of the Miami Dolphins was complete, the Pro Bowl cornerback could take a moment to reflect on what an accomplishment his season was.
A little more than a year after having major surgery on his left knee, Howard managed to finish a full 16-game season Sunday in Orchard Park, New York, and become the first player in more than a decade to grab 10 interceptions in a single season.
“It was hard to get happy. Nobody wants to get beat like that,” said Howard, who also tied for the league lead with seven interceptions in 2018. “We came in trying to win the game and it didn’t happen, so I didn’t really get the feeling with the 10th interception that it was good enough.”
Howard’s 10 interceptions are the most since former cornerback Antonio Cromartie grabbed 10 for the San Diego Chargers in 2007. Howard also tied Dick Westmoreland for the Dolphins’ single-season record. The former defensive back also had 10 in 1967.
Howard’s interception was one of two for Miami (10-6) at Bills Stadium. Fellow cornerback Byron Jones also nabbed one in the first quarter to give the Dolphins a takeaway in all 16 games this season.
With his massive bounceback season, Howard has positioned himself as a serious contender for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Dolphins entered the game against Buffalo (13-3) with the NFL’s top scoring defense and tied for the league lead in takeaways. Howard was the linchpin and should also contend for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.
“Just being able to say I played 16 games after the surgery I had — it was worse than an ACL,” Howard said. “Some people were getting confused with an ACL. It was worse than that. Just coming from that, just gaining that confidence — we’ll feed off that for next year.”
This story was originally published January 3, 2021 at 6:15 PM.
