Xavier McKinney Over Darnell Savage Keys Packers’ Defensive Improvement

The Green Bay Packers, with Xavier McKinney and two rookies at safety, will play against Darnell Savage and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) sacks Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud on Sunday. / Dan Powers/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will see a familiar face in the secondary when they face Darnell Savage and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

Savage, a first-round pick in 2019, spent five seasons in Green Bay. He had nine interceptions but just three over his final three seasons.

In free agency this offseason, the Packers made a huge splash by signing Xavier McKinney, the best player on the market, and letting Savage sign with the Jaguars.. 

McKinney has been superb. He had an interception in each of his first five games while leading the defense by word and by deed.

“(It’s) how I prepare and what my mission was coming into this season,” McKinney said last week. “Not just wanting to be the guy that once he gets paid, then he kind of just (gets) comfortable. I never got comfortable once.

“That chip, it’s still and it will always be on my shoulder. I’m on a mission. I’m chasing greatness. In order to do that, I know I have to be consistent and I have to be able to make plays, ultimately. I’m going to keep striving for that and keep shooting for that goal.”

McKinney has been exactly what the Packers hoped they were getting with Savage.

The early returns were promising. Savage was All-Rookie in 2019 and had four interceptions and 12 passes defensed in 2020. However, his ball production fell off a cliff and his tackling never improved.

So, the Packers blew up the safety corps this offseason, choosing not to re-sign Savage, Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford. Savage signed with the Jaguars, and he’s off to a quiet start with zero interceptions, two passes defensed and eight tackles in four games (all starts).

“I’m here to play a football game. It’s not a reunion,” Savage, who did have a huge pick-six in the playoff win at Dallas, told reporters in Jacksonville on Tuesday. “We’re here to go 1-0 this week, so that’s how we’re treating it, that’s how I’m treating it.”

He said there’d be no extra emotion this week against his former team “because this is already an emotional game as it is. It’s championship week for us because it’s the next week, so we’re just ready to just go 1-0 each and every week, just keep trending into the right direction.”

The Jaguars appear to be trending the right way. They lost their first four games this season but have won two of their last three. After allowing 47, 34 and 35 points in a four-game span, the Jaguars allowed a season-low point total in a 32-16 win over New England last week in London.

“He played really well,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said of Savage. “He did some great things, great communication. That was definitely a positive.”

The Jaguars are last in the NFL in opponent passer rating with a woeful 16 touchdown passes vs. one interception. However, their top cornerback, Tyson Campbell, returned from injured reserve last week. That allowed Savage to return to safety after playing in the slot the previous couple weeks.

“We haven’t really all been out there at the same time since camp, so just getting back into the swing of things and just sharpening up the communication and that kind of thing,” Savage said. “I think the unique thing about our room is that we all can play a lot of different positions, and then when you get a guy like Tyson back, I mean, he can go step-to-step with whoever.”

Versatility has been a hallmark of Green Bay’s secondary, as well, with defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley honing in on a lineup of Jaire Alexander and Keisean Nixon at corner, rookie safety Javon Bullard in the slot and rookie safety Evan Williams joining McKinney at safety.

The combination of McKinney, Williams and Bullard has been infinitely better than the Packers’ safeties from last season. In 2023, Green Bay went into the playoffs with Savage and Jonathan Owens as the starting safeties. They combined for zero interceptions and four passes defensed in the regular season.

Led by McKinney’s five interceptions and six passes defensed, they’ve combined for six interceptions (Williams has the other) and 10 passes defensed (Williams has three and Bullard has one) in less than half a season.

“They were always around the ball. From the start that they got here, they were making plays, whether that was punchouts, whether that was interceptions, whether that was big hits,” McKinney said.

“You always knew no matter the timing of it, they were able to make a big play for us. I knew we had something special in training camp when I saw that. It’s just going to continue to get better. They’re going to continue to improve. They’re going to continue to learn as they go through this season. We all expect them to keep getting better.”

In last week’s victory over Houston, McKinney for a second consecutive week failed to get an interception. However, he had a season-high six tackles and his first sack of the season.

In seven games, he has 29 tackles (official stats) and two missed tackles (Pro Football Focus). Last year, Savage had 50 tackles and 13 misses.

Between ball production, consistent coverage and steady tackling, McKinney has been everything the Packers had hoped. Plus, he’s been a leader of a position group demanding a lot from its rookies.

“I value every part of my game,” McKinney said. “I always say I’m a versatile safety. I can do it all. I can play the middle of the field, I can play the post, I can play the half, I can play the hook, I can play curl in the flat, I can rush, I can play man-to-man, so it really don’t matter for me.

“I just always try to be prepared, wherever coach wants to put me, and I’m glad he trusts me in those situations to make sure I’m always ready to go.”

More Green Bay Packers News

It'll be #Packers at Jaguars on Sunday. @JacobWestendorf has a look at the matchups. ⬇️https://t.co/x8BcnSI7vB

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 23, 2024

What channel for Packers-Jaguars | Packers-Jaguars matchups | On SI NFL Power Rankings | Consensus NFL Power Rankings | Latest playoff standings | Jeff Hafley brought the heat on C.J. Stroud | The unsung hero from Sunday | Packers release Matt Orzech* | Three Overreactions from Packers-Texans | Josh Jacobs out of the record book | Rashan Gary busts loose | Packers did what great teams do