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The narrative of the 2025 NFL season is being defined by quarterback excellence, with players like Josh Allen, Drake Maye and the resurgent Matthew Stafford leading their teams into strong playoff contention with elite passing performances. However, as the regular season barrels into Week 16, a critical group of signal-callers is enduring a painful campaign marked by turnovers, leading to tough records and placing intense pressure on both the players and their coaching staffs.
A number of high-profile names have already experienced the harsh reality of being replaced due to poor performance or injury, setting a precedent for mid-season changes. The Indianapolis Colts, for instance, were forced to bring Hall of Famer Philip Rivers out of retirement following Daniel Jones' season-ending injury, while the New York Jets have cycled through multiple options after struggles from their initial starters.
For teams like the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders, the high turnover rate from their respective starters, Tua Tagovailoa and Geno Smith, has directly contributed to inconsistencies and threatened their postseason aspirations. While benching a franchise quarterback is a drastic step, teams out of the playoff hunt, like the Raiders, might explore giving other players snaps to evaluate future options.
The stakes are highest for players whose turnovers are actively sinking their team's playoff chances. While established stars like Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert are throwing uncharacteristically high numbers of picks, their overall body of work typically keeps them safe. As the interception totals climb, the hot seat only intensifies for quarterbacks who are unable to eliminate those drive-killing mistakes as the season heads into its do-or-die final weeks.
Here is a look at the NFL's interception leaders through the completion of Week 15 games, highlighting the players who are most struggling with ball security at the season's most critical juncture.
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Who has the most interceptions this season?
The Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa currently leads for the league lead in interceptions with 15 picks. He overtook the Las Vegas Raiders' Geno Smith after throwing an interception in Week 15 and Smith not playing.
This duo has consistently battled for the top spot throughout the season, with both quarterbacks responsible for multiple high-turnover games.
The Top Turnover Quarterbacks
The field remains tight among the league leaders, with several other quarterbacks entering double-digit interception territory through 14 or 15 games:
| Rank | Player | Team | Interceptions |
| 1 | Tua Tagovailoa | Dolphins | 15 |
| 2 | Geno Smith | Raiders | 14 |
| 3 | Justin Herbert | Chargers | 12 |
| T-4 | Sam Darnold | Seahawks | 11 |
| T-4 | Trevor Lawrence | Jaguars | 11 |
| T-4 | Patrick Mahomes | Chiefs | 11 |
| T-4 | J.J. McCarthy | Vikings | 11 |
| T-8 | Joe Flacco | Bengals/Browns | 10 |
| T-8 | Dak Prescott | Cowboys | 10 |
| T-8 | Josh Allen | Bills | 10 |
Teams like the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals, who lead the league, have seen a significant number of interceptions between multiple quarterbacks. For the Vikings, the league lead is 20, currently kept afloat by rookie quarterback Max Brosmer's four picks in his NFL debut.
The Bengals have had multiple quarterbacks since Joe Burrow went down in Week 2. Joe Flacco has thrown 10 interceptions (between the Bengals and potentially another team, given the stat line), Jake Browning is also among the league leaders with 8 picks despite having appeared in only a handful of games, showcasing the turnover issues that have plagued the Bengals' passing game this season. Since returning, Burrow has thrown four interceptions.
Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa has thrown 14 interceptions on the season, contributing to the Dolphins' inconsistent play. His high mark for turnovers in a single game came in Weeks 6 and 7, where he threw three interceptions in each contest, tying him for the lead at the time. He's back in the lead after throwing an interception against the Steelers on "Monday Night Football."
Two of those came in Week 1 against the Colts, then he had back-to-back three-interception games in Week 6 against the Chargers and Week 7 against the Browns.
DERWIN JAMES CALLS GAME. pic.twitter.com/yvI3mny8u5
— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025%3Cscript%20async%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fplatform.twitter.com%2Fwidgets.js%22%20charset%3D%22utf-8%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E
TERREL BERNARD COMES UP WITH THE CLUTCH INTERCEPTION ON TUA TAGOVAILOA! pic.twitter.com/oBgs6Xv3jI
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 19, 2025— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025Geno Smith
Smith has had a brutal stretch to begin 2025 after joining the Raiders in the offseason. The former Seattle Seahawks starter, always known as a gunslinger, quickly put up 10 interceptions in six games by the time he reached a win over the Titans.
The Raiders are just 2-7 this season so far, and Smith has now totaled 11 touchdown passes vs. 12 interceptions. Six of Smith's 12 interceptions have come over just two games: Week 2 against the Chargers (3) and Week 4 against the Chicago Bears (3).
Calls for Kenny Pickett, who Las Vegas acquired before the 2025 season, have increased lately. The longer Smith's turnover struggles continue, the likelier Pete Carroll will be to bench him.
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 5, 2025Smith was out for Las Vegas' Week 15 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Raiders lost 31-0, but Smith no longer leads the league in interceptions.
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Justin Herbert
Despite dealing with inconsistent offensive line play and playing through a hand injury earlier in the season, the Chargers quarterback Herbert has maintained his status as a high-volume passer while struggling with turnovers in the 2025 campaign. Through Week 15, Herbert's 12 12 interceptions have positioned him among the league leaders in that category, a significant shift from his record-setting, low-turnover rates in previous seasons.
The Chargers' recent gritty wins have relied heavily on defensive performance and a strong running game, suggesting Herbert's ability to limit those interceptions in the final three weeks will be critical to the team's pursuit of a high seed in the AFC playoffs.
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