Most NFL Interceptions Thrown in 2019 - Top 10 Odds and Predictions

The players receiving most NFL seasonal awards consider them an honor and are happy to accept them, however, the Most Interceptions Thrown title is not exactly official and it is definitely not a source of bragging rights for any quarterback who ends up with it.

Being an NFL quarterback demands both mental and physical excellence, which is why it is considered to be one of the most difficult jobs on the gridiron and why the best quarterbacks are rare and typically end up as some of the highest-paid athletes in the league.

But the oddsmakers know that regardless of how fantastic you are at throwing a football, NFL game time pressure will get to even the best of men, and so they have released their odds and predictions of which NFL quarterback they believe will throw the most interceptions during the 2019 season and we take a look and briefly analyze the top ten contenders.

For the football newbies, what is an interception?

This is truly football 101, so if you are brand new to the game it is important to understand what an interception is and why it is a significant event in a football game.

An interception (or a ‘pick’) is when the offense is attempting to throw a forward pass and a player on the opposing team catches the ball instead.

An interception becomes a major moment in a football game because not only does the team who intercepts the ball become the offense and get possession of the ball, in many cases they also receive tremendous field position, much better than if they would have had to return a punt or a kickoff to take over the ball.

Who threw the most NFL interceptions last season?

Last year, the quarterback who threw the most interceptions during the course of the regular season was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger, who threw 16 of them, though the competition for this dubious award was right behind Big Ben.

Next in line were three players who threw 15 picks apiece, and they were the New York Jets’ rookie Sam Darnold, the Denver Broncos’ Case Keenum and the Indianapolis Colts’ Andrew Luck.

The next three on the list each threw 14 interceptions, and they are the Cleveland Browns’ rookie Baker Mayfield, the Arizona Cardinals’ rookie Josh Rosen and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Jameis Winston.

Here are the current top-ten odds and predictions listed for which NFL quarterback will have the most interceptions thrown in 2019:

If you live in New Jersey you can bet on who will throw the most interceptions in the 2019/2020 NFL season on 888Sport. Find the latest odds below. Good luck!

Player to Throw Most Interceptions in 2019 – Odds

10. Josh Rosen, Miami Dolphins

Seasons in the NFL: 1

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 226-pounds

Total number of 2018 games played: 14

2018 Passing Stats Line: Completed 217-of-393 for 2,278 yards and 11 touchdowns with 14 interceptions and a completion percentage of 55.2 while being sacked 45 times.

Analysis: It is a good guess that so far it has not been a fun experience in the NFL for young Josh Rosen, despite the Arizona Cardinals selecting him in the first round of the 2018 draft (10^th overall).

Since then, he quarterbacked his Cards to a 3-13 record and a basement spot in the NFC West, a poor performance that led to his being traded away after new head coach Kliff Kingsbury made it clear that new rookie first-rounder Kyler Murray was going to be the starter under center this season.

Now Rosen will start for the Miami Dolphins, who seem hell-bent on being awful in order to pick up next year’s first overall draft pick (most likely another quarterback, either Oregon’s Justin Herbert or Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa), so Rosen’s 14 interceptions last season might actually be repeatable if the kid gets stuck with another weak offensive line and receiver crew.

9. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns

Seasons in the NFL: 1

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 215-pounds

Total number of 2018 games played: 14

2018 Passing Stats Line: Completed 310-of-486 for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns (*NFL rookie record) with 14 interceptions and a completion percentage of 63.8 while being sacked 25 times.

Analysis: The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Baker Mayfield threw 14 interceptions last season, but there were a lot of extenuating circumstances that led to that relatively large number.

The main one was that Cleveland’s then head coach Hue Jackson’s refused to let Mayfield practice with the first team, and the second was the fact the Browns led the league in dropped passes for much of the season, with slot receiver Jarvis Landry leading the Browns in that category with 11.

Here’s why that is important: Mayfield is deadly accurate and has a rifle arm – even newly acquired deep threat receiver Odell Beckham Jr. commented on how it was something he would have to adjust to – and a lot of his 14 interceptions last season came from his receivers not being in the right place or not being able to handle his throws, so it stands to reason that if he gets a lot more reps with the ones this offseason, his picks should lessen in 2019.

8. Dwayne Haskins, Washington Redskins

Seasons in the NFL: Rookie

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 230-pounds

Total number of 2018 games played: 14 for Ohio State University

2018 OSU Passing Stats Line: Completed 373-of-533 for 4,831 yards and 50 touchdowns with 8 interceptions and a completion percentage of 70.0 while being sacked 20 times.

Analysis: Of course it is almost silly to compare college statistics to NFL numbers, but at least Washington Redskins‘ new rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins’ stats were earned playing on a Big Ten team like Ohio State, so certain basic deductions can be made.

For example, throwing for 50 touchdowns with just 8 interceptions is incredible, and that says that Haskins is cautious with his throws while using his arm to throw touchdowns often, but all that carefulness might go straight out the window against a professional NFL defense.

How effective Haskins’ strong but inexperienced arm will be in the NFL is the biggest question, especially when you consider that Haskins is very young and only played one full season at Ohio State, his sophomore year in 2018, after serving as just a backup to J.T. Barrett all of the 2017 season as a freshman.

7. Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers

Seasons in the NFL: 15

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 228-pounds

Total number of 2018 games played: 16

2018 Passing Stats Line: Completed 347-of-508 for 4,308 yards and 32 touchdowns with 12 interceptions and a completion percentage of 68.3 while being sacked 32 times.

Analysis: Philip Rivers of the Los Angeles Chargers, was tied for throwing the ninth most interceptions in 2018 with 12, but in his fifteen-year NFL career he has thrown for 20+ picks in two seasons and for 18 of them once, so he has made this top ten list at number seven for good reasons.

Rivers’ odd throwing motion (it sort of looks like he is skipping rocks) has befuddled many a defense, but like a side-armed pitcher it’s something that eventually players get used to, and cornerbacks and safeties have gradually adjusted to tracking his delivery.

Sure, his relatively advanced ‘football age’ might have something to do with him being on this top ten odds list, with Rivers turning 38-years-old in December, but in that regard you don’t see the two 40+ quarterbacks in the league (Tom Brady and Drew Brees) on the list, so it could be that odds makers just see Rivers’ oddball delivery as potentially more inaccurate.

6. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

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Current Age: 30

Seasons in the NFL: 8

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 245-pounds

Total number of 2018 games played: 14

2018 Passing Stats Line: Completed 320-of-471 for 3,395 yards and 24 touchdowns with 13 interceptions and a completion percentage of 67.9 while being sacked 29 times.

Analysis: Carolina Panthers’ veteran quarterback Cam Newton averages almost 13.5 interceptions per season, so he is always in the running to throw the most during any given year, though last season his 12 picks ranked him eighth among his under center peers.

The question Newton has to answer is whether his shoulder that underwent surgery in January will be healed up enough to be effective by the regular season in September.

It is interesting that despite Newton’s injured shoulder, he still threw for a career-best completion percentage of 67.5 for the 2018 season, so if his throwing arm is healthy and good to go, the number of picks he throws in 2019 should decrease.

5. Sam Darnold, New York Jets

Seasons in the NFL: 1

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 225-pounds

Total number of 2018 games played: 13

2018 Passing Stats Line: Completed 239-of-414 for 2,865 yards and 17 touchdowns with 15 interceptions and a completion percentage of 57.7 while being sacked 30 times.

Analysis: New York Jets young quarterback Sam Darnold is considered a gunslinger, meaning he likes to shoot the ball into tight places in order to make something happen on offense.

That backfired on Darnold 15 times last season, tying him for second-most interceptions thrown by anyone in the league, which is not surprising since the first-year quarterback was thrust onto the field as a starter with zero NFL experience under his belt.

Things should go smoother for Darnold in New York this season, since he now has one of the league’s premier dual-threat backs on his roster, Le’Veon Bell, who, if his game still holds up after sitting out last season, will give Darnold’s offense a running threat to balance off of and a check down receiver for when he is scrambling out of collapsed pockets.

4. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Seasons in the NFL: Rookie

Height: 5-foot-10

Weight: 207-pounds

Total number of 2018 games played: 14 for Oklahoma University

2018 Oklahoma Passing Stats Line: Completed 260-of-377 for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns with 7 interceptions and a completion percentage of 69.0 while being sacked 18 times.

Analysis: The biggest knock on two-sport athlete Kyler Murray is his size, with haters questioning whether he can be effective in the NFL at 5-foot-10, but that question comes up for every quarterback who isn’t 6-foot-4, just ask Baker Mayfield.

It has been reported that Murray’s football/baseball throwing arm is exceptional, and under the guidance of new Arizona Cardinals’ head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who favors a pass-heavy attack, it will be tested for much of each game.

When you look at Murray’s numbers from last season in Oklahoma, 4,000+ yards and 42 touchdowns in just 14 games with only 7 picks, it is obvious that Murray’s height didn’t prevent him from taking care of the football, but it is difficult for any rookie quarterback to show the same restraint in the NFL – just ask Baker Mayfield again.

3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Seasons in the NFL: 1

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 237-pounds

Total number of 2018 games played: 12

2018 Passing Stats Line: Completed 169-of-320 for 2,074 yards and 10 touchdowns with 12 interceptions and a completion percentage of 52.8 while being sacked 28 times.

Analysis: Any time a quarterback has more interceptions than touchdowns during a season like Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills did in 2018, it does not look good, although Allen being a rookie does explain the discrepancy somewhat.

It is interesting to look at Allen’s college stats at Wyoming, where in 14 games in 2016 he threw for 15 interceptions and in 11 games last season he threw for 6, so the conclusion was that he was getting more particular about where and when he threw the football.

But last season his 12 picks put him tied for ninth-most, though keep in mind Allen only played in 12 games, so over the course of an entire season the oddsmakers are predicting he will make a decent run at throwing the most interceptions in 2019.

2. Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Seasons in the NFL: 4

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 231-pounds

Total number of 2018 games played: 11

2018 Passing Stats Line: Completed 244-of-378 for 2,992 yards and 19 touchdowns with 14 interceptions and a completion percentage of 64.6 while being sacked 27 times.

Analysis: It is no wonder that Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ fifth-year quarterback Jameis Winston (aka Famous Jameis aka Jaboo) is second on this top ten odds list for throwing the most interceptions in 2019.

In his four NFL seasons, Winston has averaged 14.5 interceptions per year, so it seems likely that he will be just as free with the ball this season.

Winston is now led by new head coach Bruce Arians and newly hired offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, so those two offensive experts may just figure out how to put the 25-year old quarterback in a position to be more accurate with the ball.

1. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Seasons in the NFL: 15

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 240-pounds

Total number of 2018 games played: 16

2018 Passing Stats Line: Completed 452-of-675 for 5,129 yards and 34 touchdowns with 16 interceptions and a completion percentage of 67.0 while being sacked 24 times.

Analysis: It is funny how Pittsburgh Steelers’ veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led the league in passing yards last season by posting a whopping 5,129 yards through the air, but also led the league in interceptions with 16 errant throws to his name.

Big Ben no longer has his primary receiving target, Antonio Brown (now suiting up out West for the struggling Oakland Raiders), but he has the ever-dependable Juju Smith-Schuster to toss balls at so he can’t use lack of targets as an excuse for his upcoming misfires.

With the two-year, $68 million contract extension Roethlisberger just received, his future is set and the 2x Super Bowl Champion has nothing more to prove to himself or the football world, but don’t bet on him wanting to win this particular ‘honor.’

Instead, count on Roethlisberger doing everything in his power to make accurate throws in 2019 to power his team’s way back into the postseason.