Minkah Fitzpatrick ends Jets' NFL-record 20-game interception drought at Chicago

Minkah Fitzpatrick's interception ends the drought

The New York Jets' NFL-record regular-season interception drought is over after 20 consecutive games, and the pick that ended it came from Minkah Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick stepped in front of Bears tight end Colston Loveland and intercepted a Tyson Bagent pass in the second quarter of Sunday's game at Chicago, his first action since he left New York's opener with a groin injury. The play marked the Jets' first regular-season interception in 636 pass attempts, a span of 83 regulation quarters not counting the Jets' Week 2 overtime loss at Green Bay.

A near-miss and a relief in Chicago

The drought appeared to end earlier in the game when defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat intercepted Bagent with about 4 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter, but Jets cornerback Azareye'h Thomas was flagged for illegal use of hands on the play, nullifying the takeaway. Fitzpatrick's interception followed in the second quarter and stood as the official end of the run. The Jets had been the first team in league history to go an entire season without an interception since the NFL began tracking the statistic in 1933; they had three preseason picks, by Andre Cisco, Samuel Womack and Marcelino McCrary-Ball, none of which count in official regular-season records.

Glenn's view on the streak

Before the regular-season opener at Tennessee last month, Jets coach Aaron Glenn — who recorded 41 career interceptions across 15 NFL seasons — was asked whether he would feel relief when the team finally recorded one. "I think it would be a relief to hear you guys stop talking about it, first and foremost," Glenn said with a laugh. He added that he prefers to emphasize takeaways more broadly, telling his players to "go after the ball," "punch the ball out" and treat takeaways as decisive in winning and losing.

Other NFL developments

Separately, Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris publicly criticized the NFL over lost revenue from a designated "home game" played in London. Elsewhere, ESPN analyst Ben Solak announced he is hosting a new daily NFL podcast titled "Leaguewide," a five-day-a-week show featuring the network's reporters and analysts.