Jacksonville has the NFL’s best turnover margin to itself after Week 9. The Jaguars took the ball away three times and gave it up once in a 33–10 win at Baltimore on Thursday night, which moved them from plus-7, in a three-way tie for first, to plus-9. They have 15 takeaways, 11 of them interceptions, against six giveaways in eight games.
Green Bay made the biggest jump of the week. The Packers forced four turnovers and committed none in a 45–27 win at New England, which took them from plus-4 to plus-8 and into second place. Minnesota, which shared the lead a week ago, gave the ball away three times in Monday night’s 23–6 loss to Buffalo and fell to plus-5. Tampa Bay and Washington are tied for third at plus-7.
NFL turnover margin after Week 9, all 32 teams
| Rank | Team | Record | G | Takeaways | INT | Giveaways | Margin | Week 9 | After Week 8 | Week 10 (Cairo time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacksonville | 6–2 | 8 | 15 | 11 | 6 | +9 | +2 | +7 | at Tennessee, Sun 20:00 |
| 2 | Green Bay | 6–3 | 9 | 19 | 13 | 11 | +8 | +4 | +4 | vs. Minnesota, Sun 20:00 |
| T-3 | Tampa Bay | 3–6 | 9 | 21 | 16 | 14 | +7 | +3 | +4 | Bye |
| T-3 | Washington | 2–5–1 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 5 | +7 | 0 | +7 | at NY Giants, Fri 03:15 |
| T-5 | Minnesota | 6–2 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 8 | +5 | −2 | +7 | at Green Bay, Sun 20:00 |
| T-5 | Pittsburgh | 6–2 | 8 | 13 | 7 | 8 | +5 | Bye | +5 | at Cincinnati, Mon 03:20 |
| T-5 | Denver | 7–2 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 7 | +5 | +1 | +4 | Bye |
| T-8 | Kansas City | 6–2 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 7 | +4 | −1 | +5 | at Atlanta, Sun 20:00 |
| T-8 | Houston | 3–5 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | +4 | +1 | +3 | at Cleveland, Sun 20:00 |
| T-10 | NY Jets | 2–7 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 7 | +3 | +1 | +2 | vs. Buffalo, Sun 20:00 |
| T-10 | Detroit | 6–2 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | +3 | 0 | +3 | vs. New England in Munich, Sun 16:30 |
| 12 | Cincinnati | 6–2 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 10 | +2 | +1 | +1 | vs. Pittsburgh, Mon 03:20 |
| T-13 | Las Vegas | 4–5 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 13 | +1 | −4 | +5 | vs. Seattle, Sun 23:05 |
| T-13 | Cleveland | 5–4 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 11 | +1 | +2 | −1 | vs. Houston, Sun 20:00 |
| T-13 | San Francisco | 7–1 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 11 | +1 | +4 | −3 | at Dallas, Sun 23:25 |
| T-16 | Buffalo | 7–1 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 0 | +2 | −2 | at NY Jets, Sun 20:00 |
| T-16 | Arizona | 3–6 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | vs. LA Rams, Sun 23:05 |
| T-18 | Seattle | 5–4 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 14 | −1 | 0 | −1 | at Las Vegas, Sun 23:05 |
| T-18 | Carolina | 3–5 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 12 | −1 | −1 | 0 | at New Orleans, Sun 20:00 |
| T-18 | Tennessee | 1–7 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 12 | −1 | Bye | −1 | vs. Jacksonville, Sun 20:00 |
| T-18 | Dallas | 4–5 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 9 | −1 | 0 | −1 | vs. San Francisco, Sun 23:25 |
| T-22 | NY Giants | 5–2–1 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 12 | −2 | 0 | −2 | vs. Washington, Fri 03:15 |
| T-22 | Baltimore | 4–5 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 11 | −2 | −2 | 0 | vs. LA Chargers, Tue 03:15 |
| 24 | Miami | 1–7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 10 | −3 | 0 | −3 | at Indianapolis, Sun 20:00 |
| T-25 | Chicago | 7–2 | 9 | 13 | 7 | 17 | −4 | −3 | −1 | Bye |
| T-25 | LA Rams | 5–4 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 14 | −4 | 0 | −4 | at Arizona, Sun 23:05 |
| T-25 | Philadelphia | 2–7 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 9 | −4 | 0 | −4 | Bye |
| 28 | New Orleans | 3–5 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 15 | −6 | −2 | −4 | vs. Carolina, Sun 20:00 |
| T-29 | LA Chargers | 0–8 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 19 | −7 | −1 | −6 | at Baltimore, Tue 03:15 |
| T-29 | Atlanta | 3–6 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 17 | −7 | −1 | −6 | vs. Kansas City, Sun 20:00 |
| T-31 | New England | 5–4 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 19 | −11 | −4 | −7 | vs. Detroit in Munich, Sun 16:30 |
| T-31 | Indianapolis | 2–7 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 17 | −11 | 0 | −11 | vs. Miami, Sun 20:00 |
Turnover margin is the number of interceptions and fumble recoveries a team takes away, minus the interceptions it throws and the fumbles it loses. The Week 9 column is the margin from that game alone. Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Denver are tied for fifth at plus-5. Houston has the fewest giveaways in the league with four, and Detroit and Washington have five each.
New England and Indianapolis are tied for last at minus-11. The Patriots gave the ball away four times against Green Bay and took it away none, which dropped them from minus-7. They and the Chargers have the most giveaways in the league, 19 each. The Colts have six takeaways, one more than Philadelphia’s league-low five.
The biggest moves of Week 9
| Team | After Week 8 | Takeaways in Week 9 | Giveaways in Week 9 | Week 9 game | After Week 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay | +4 | 4 | 0 | at New England (W 45–27) | +8 |
| San Francisco | −3 | 5 | 1 | Las Vegas (W 38–17) | +1 |
| Tampa Bay | +4 | 5 | 2 | at Chicago (L 24–27) | +7 |
| Buffalo | −2 | 3 | 1 | at Minnesota (W 23–6) | 0 |
| Cleveland | −1 | 2 | 0 | at New Orleans (L 22–23) | +1 |
| Jacksonville | +7 | 3 | 1 | at Baltimore (W 33–10) | +9 |
| Baltimore | 0 | 1 | 3 | Jacksonville (L 10–33) | −2 |
| Minnesota | +7 | 1 | 3 | Buffalo (L 6–23) | +5 |
| New Orleans | −4 | 0 | 2 | Cleveland (W 23–22) | −6 |
| Chicago | −1 | 2 | 5 | Tampa Bay (W 27–24) | −4 |
| Las Vegas | +5 | 1 | 5 | at San Francisco (L 17–38) | +1 |
| New England | −7 | 0 | 4 | Green Bay (L 27–45) | −11 |
San Francisco had the best turnover day of the week along with Green Bay. The 49ers forced five turnovers and gave up one in a 38–17 win over Las Vegas, which moved them from minus-3 to plus-1. The Raiders went from plus-5 to plus-1. The 49ers are back on the plus side for the first time since Week 6, and they are 7–1.
Tampa Bay also forced five turnovers, at Chicago on Sunday night, and lost 27–24. The Buccaneers gave the ball up twice and moved from plus-4 to plus-7. They have 21 takeaways, the most in the league, and their 16 interceptions are also the most. Green Bay is second in both, with 19 takeaways and 13 interceptions.
Does the margin match the standings?
| Teams | Count | Combined record | Win pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plus margin | 15 | 75–50–1 | .599 |
| Even (Buffalo, Arizona) | 2 | 10–7 | .588 |
| Minus margin | 15 | 50–78–1 | .391 |
Mostly, yes. The 15 teams on the plus side are a combined 75–50–1, and the 15 on the minus side are 50–78–1. In single games the link is stronger. In the 98 games this season in which one team had fewer turnovers than the other, that team is 76–21–1. Week 9 went 7–3, and in all three exceptions the team that turned it over more won: Kansas City beat the Jets 35–12 with two giveaways to one, New Orleans beat Cleveland 23–22 in overtime with two to none, and Chicago beat Tampa Bay with five to two.
The Bears are the biggest exception in the standings. They are 7–2 at minus-4, and their 17 giveaways are tied with Atlanta and Indianapolis for the third most, behind New England and the Chargers. Buffalo is 7–1 at even margin after winning the turnover battle 3–1 in Minnesota. At the other end, Tampa Bay is 3–6 at plus-7, and Washington is 2–5–1 with the same margin.
Turnovers by week
| Week | Games | Turnovers | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | 44 | 2.75 |
| 2 | 16 | 29 | 1.81 |
| 3 | 16 | 45 | 2.81 |
| 4 | 16 | 39 | 2.44 |
| 5 | 15 | 44 | 2.93 |
| 6 | 14 | 36 | 2.57 |
| 7 | 14 | 25 | 1.79 |
| 8 | 14 | 43 | 3.07 |
| 9 | 15 | 49 | 3.27 |
| Season | 136 | 354 | 2.60 |
Week 9 had the most turnovers per game of the season. There were 49 in 15 games, or 3.27 a game, up from 3.07 in Week 8 and above the season average of 2.60. Arizona at Seattle was the only game with no turnovers, and five games finished even on turnovers.
What to watch in Week 10
Washington visits the New York Giants on Thursday night, which is 03:15 on Friday in Cairo. Tampa Bay, Chicago, Denver and Philadelphia are on byes, so the Buccaneers cannot add to their league-high 21 takeaways this week.
Minnesota plays at Green Bay on Sunday at 20:00 Cairo time, with the Packers at plus-8 and the Vikings at plus-5. Jacksonville visits Tennessee at the same time. New England, tied for last, faces Detroit, which has five giveaways, in Munich at 16:30, and Indianapolis hosts Miami at 20:00.
These turnover totals are our count from the box scores of all 136 games so far. They match a second, independent turnover count for all 32 teams, and the interceptions thrown and taken match the league’s team statistics.
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