Trevon Diggs‘ interception on Thursday night helped the Dallas Cowboys close out the New Orleans Saints as Dallas improved to 8-4 on the season. Diggs’ interception also moved him one step closer to joining some elite company.
With nine interceptions this season, the Cowboys’ second-year cornerback is on pace to threaten Night Train Lane’s 69-year-old record for the most recorded interceptions in a season. The former Hall of Fame defensive back picked off 14 passes as a member of the Los Angeles Rams back in 1952. Four other players have recorded at least 13 interceptions in a season, a group Diggs is four interceptions away from joining.
Here’s a look at the company Diggs could soon be joining if he can record at least four more interceptions during the season’s final five weeks. Three of Diggs’ remaining games are against Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke and Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, so his odds at joining this group of players is pretty good.
NFL’s season interceptions leaders
Night Train Lane (14): Lane was a rookie when he set the NFL record for interceptions in a season. He returned two of his 14 picks for scores while racking up a league-high 298 return yards. Lane again led the NFL with 10 interceptions in 1954 while earning his first of seven Pro Bowl selections. Lane retired after the 1965 season with 68 career interceptions, which is currently the fourth-highest total in league history.
Lester Hayes (13): “The Judge” picked off 13 passes en route to winning Defensive Player of the Year in 1980. Making Hayes’ season more remarkable is the fact that he had two more interceptions wiped out due to penalties. Hayes had five more interceptions (one that was returned for a touchdown) in four playoff games while helping the Raiders win the franchise’s second Super Bowl title. Hayes retired with two Super Bowl rings and was a member of the NFL All-Decade Team for the 1980s.
Dan Sandfier (13): Like Lane, Sandfier was a rookie when he recorded his historic season. A three-way player who was also the NFL’s best kickoff returner during the 1948 season, Sandfier picked off 13 passes that year despite making only seven starts for Washington. He set NFL single game records for interceptions (four) and interception returns for touchdowns (two).
Spec Sanders (13): Sanders picked off 13 passes for the New York Yanks during the 1950 season, the franchise’s first in the NFL after being a charter member of the All-America Football Conference. The AAFC’s leader in rushing yards and touchdown runs in both 1946 and ’47, knee issues forced Sanders to retire after the 1950 season.
