Patriots' Kevin Byard Came Inches Away From Accomplishing Personal Goal in Win

Kevin Byard entered last week with a goal in mind. After a long career of intercepting quarterbacks, the New England Patriots safety wanted to add one more to the list: Pittsburgh Steelers' Aaron Rodgers.

"Definitely looking to get my first interception against Aaron Rodgers this week," Byard said the week leading up to the game. "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."

He has all his interception balls in his home, and he's trying to figure out what to do with them after his playing career. The quarterbacks he's gotten the best of so far are pretty established.

"Got (Patrick) Mahomes. Got Josh Allen a couple of times. Dak Prescott a few times," Byard said. "It’s countless, honestly. It’s almost too much to count at this point. But I would say those are probably the top two, Josh Allen and Mahomes. I think I got Lamar (Jackson) too, so I got a lot of guys."

The Patriots ended up beating the Steelers, 20-3, in their home opener ... and they ended up neutralizing Rodgers all afternoon. They sacked him four times and picked him off once to ice the game.

But the interception didn't come from Byard. Nope. Instead, it came from an unlikely source.

In the fourth quarter, and right after the Steelers got pushed back by an Elijah Ponder sack, Rodgers tried to hit rookie wideout Germie Bernard on a screen. Bernard wasn't able to hold on, and it fell right into the arms of rookie edge rusher Gabe Jacas.

September 20, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) is tackled by New England Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss (53) and safety Kevin Byard III (31) during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

So instead of Byard, who led the NFL in picks a year ago, finally adding Rodgers to his long list, it was the rookie in his second career game.

It was the second-straight game that the Patriots didn't get carved up on the scoreboard. They allowed just a lone field goal at the end of the first half, and forced their first two turnovers of the season. Byard had a solid day at the office, recording four tackles.

Byard Was Close To Picking Off Rodgers

But he almost got a pick. Earlier in the game, a tipped pass floated up in the air and fell down to the ground. Byard, in the area, dove out to try and snag it. It hit the ground, but the 33-year-old tried to sell it.

It didn't work.

"Yeah, I wanted it bad," Byard said with a smile. "I kind of knew that the ball had hit the ground, so I just tried to give a good acting job. But no, man, I got very close to one."

Barring a meeting in the postseason, it's unlikely that Byard won't be able to intercept Rodgers — who's expected to retire at the end of the season. Even though he wasn't able to complete his goal, the Patriots captain was more focused on the final score.

"But like I said, it's more about the win and to see Gabe get an ... interception," Byard said. "It's just fun, all the coverage and the pass rush working together."

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