DaRon Bland made NFL history Sunday.
The Dallas Cowboys' defensive back is in the midst of a career-season, and when he intercepted Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young with 13:58 remaining in the game and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown, Bland tied the regular season record with four pick-sixes in a season.
ANOTHER PICK SIX FOR DARON BLAND
pic.twitter.com/Omzo4acjLY— PFF (@PFF) November 19, 2023
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What makes Bland's mark so impressive, is that the 24-year-old tied the record just 10 games into the 2023 season.
Bland has been a magnet for the football, so far during the 2023 campaign, logging five interceptions to go with his 33 total tackles and 11 pass breakups. In each of the first three months of this season, Bland has returned at least one interception for a touchdown.
According to Pro Football Focus, Bland is holding opposing quarterbacks to a meager 32.8 passer rating and wide receivers are averaging only 10.8 yards per reception when targeting him.
The Pick-Six King ?@DaRon_Bland | @FastTwitchDrink pic.twitter.com/xZbABLydMB
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 19, 2023
Young has struggled with ball security, throughout his rookie season, already tossing eight interceptions. Sunday, Bland was the beneficiary of the Panthers' quarterback's latest mistake.
Through the first 26 games of his career, Bland has intercepted 11 passes, produced 87 total tackles, and logged 19 pass breakups, emerging as one of the Cowboys' most consistent defenders in the secondary.
Dallas originally chose Bland in the fifth-round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and it goes without saying that he has already exceeded any reasonable expectations for a fifth-round pick. Bland has the potential to join teammate Trevon Diggs as an All-Pro, one year after Diggs earned that honor.
Bland's interception proved to be the exclamation point on a Cowboys blowout victory, as Dallas flew home from Charlotte with a 33-10 victory to improve to 7-3, now 1.5 games back of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East Division race.
