Former Auburn Tiger turned longtime NFL veteran Carlton Davis III achieved something he had never done during his seven year professional career last Sunday. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers second round pick, who is spending his first season with the Detroit Lions after an offseason trade, tallied a pair of interceptions in a victory over the Texans on Sunday night, giving the 27-year-old his first multi-pick game of his career.
The pair of interceptions led all NFL defensive players in week 10. Davis III’s PFF grade of 91.3 was the highest among all cornerbacks in the league, while his opposing passer rating of 9.2 was second among all corners. The second of his two interceptions was partially important and impressive, as Davis III baited Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud into throwing an end zone shot to Tank Dell. The 27-year-old closed on the ball immediately, intercepting Stroud in the end zone to end a Texans scoring threat.
While the former Tiger has paved out a phenomenal career in the league, he’s never been known to be a ballhawk. The pair of interceptions improved Davis III’s all time total to just 11 over his six-plus seasons in the NFL. He now has three seasons of multiple interceptions recorded. He intercepted the opposing quarterback twice in 2023 after tallying a career high 4 interceptions in Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl winning season.
The shut down cornerback never accomplished a multi-interception game during his three years on the Plains either, although that was mainly due to the fact the opposition refused to throw the ball in his direction because of his dominance. His pair of interceptions helped the Lions improve to a franchise best 8-1 on the season. The former Tiger is all but guaranteed to get back to the playoffs yet again, giving himself a chance to earn a second Super Bowl ring.
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