Minnesota and Washington share the NFL lead in turnover margin after Week 6 at plus-6, and they could hardly have taken more different roads there. The unbeaten Vikings have forced 10 turnovers and given away four. The Commanders have forced eight and lost the ball only twice, yet they are 1–4–1.
Indianapolis is last at minus-8. The Colts have forced three turnovers, tied for the fewest in the league, and committed 11, including three in a 26–20 loss to Tennessee on Sunday, October 18.
Best turnover margins after Week 6
| Rank | Team | Takeaways (INT, FR) | Giveaways | Margin | Week 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-1 | Minnesota | 10 (6, 4) | 4 | +6 | bye |
| T-1 | Washington | 8 (3, 5) | 2 | +6 | +1 |
| T-3 | Jacksonville | 9 (7, 2) | 4 | +5 | 0 |
| T-3 | Kansas City | 9 (5, 4) | 4 | +5 | 0 |
| T-5 | Green Bay | 11 (9, 2) | 7 | +4 | +1 |
| T-5 | Denver | 10 (7, 3) | 6 | +4 | +3 |
| T-5 | NY Jets | 8 (1, 7) | 4 | +4 | +1 |
| T-5 | Detroit | 5 (3, 2) | 1 | +4 | bye |
| T-9 | Pittsburgh | 10 (6, 4) | 7 | +3 | +1 |
| T-9 | Carolina | 7 (3, 4) | 4 | +3 | 0 |
| T-9 | Houston | 6 (3, 3) | 3 | +3 | 0 |
Turnover margin is simple arithmetic: interceptions and fumble recoveries a team takes, minus the interceptions it throws and the fumbles it loses. Each turnover hands the other side a possession, often in good field position, and few numbers line up with winning as closely over a full season. Over six weeks it is also one of the least stable, because recovering a loose ball depends a good deal on where it bounces.
Minnesota’s six interceptions include three by Byron Murphy Jr., who is tied for the league lead with Renardo Green, Jevon Holland, Hezekiah Masses, Xavier McKinney and Jordan Battle. Green Bay has the most interceptions as a team with nine, three of them by McKinney, and shares the lead in total takeaways at 11 with Seattle.
another takeaway
📺 #INDvsWAS @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/SB6LNaqiCh
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) October 4, 2026
Washington shows what the number cannot do alone. The Commanders’ defense has taken the ball away eight times, five of them on fumble recoveries, and their offense has the second-fewest giveaways behind Detroit, which has lost the ball once in five games. But opponents have scored touchdowns on 18 of 22 red-zone trips against Washington, the worst rate in the league, and the Commanders lost 23–17 at San Francisco on Monday night, October 19, despite winning the turnover battle 1–0.
The Jets have the strangest profile on the list: seven fumble recoveries, the most in the league, and one interception. Denver took the ball away three times from Seattle in its 17–14 overtime win on Thursday, October 15, the best single-game margin of any team in Week 6 along with New Orleans, which forced four Giants turnovers and committed one in a 34–27 win.
The bottom six
| Rank | Team | Takeaways (INT, FR) | Giveaways | Margin | Week 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-27 | Dallas | 3 (1, 2) | 7 | −4 | −1 |
| T-27 | Miami | 4 (3, 1) | 8 | −4 | bye |
| 29 | LA Chargers | 10 (5, 5) | 15 | −5 | 0 |
| 30 | New England | 7 (4, 3) | 13 | −6 | −1 |
| 31 | Atlanta | 5 (1, 4) | 12 | −7 | −2 |
| 32 | Indianapolis | 3 (2, 1) | 11 | −8 | −2 |
The Chargers have committed 15 turnovers, the most in the league, and are 0–6 even though their defense has forced 10. Atlanta has one interception all season and turned the ball over three times in a 31–23 loss to Chicago. New England is the exception at the bottom: the Patriots are minus-6 and 4–2, and they beat the Jets 26–19 in Week 6 despite losing the turnover battle.
Chicago and New England opened Week 7 on Thursday, so their numbers above are through Week 6. The Bears forced the only turnover in their 30–24 win, which moves Chicago from minus-2 to minus-1 and New England to minus-7. Full rankings are on our team stats page, and the red-zone side of the story is in our red-zone defense rankings.
What comes next
Minnesota hosts Indianapolis, the last team on this list, on Sunday, October 25, at 1 p.m. EDT. Atlanta hosts San Francisco at 1 p.m., Kansas City plays at Seattle at 8:20 p.m., and Detroit hosts Green Bay at 4:25 p.m. Washington and the Chargers are on their byes.
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