Keith Abney picked up his first NFL interception Sunday, and he did it in a place that knows his game well: Arizona.
The former Sun Devil came down with a Jacoby Brissett deep shot late in the first half as the Detroit Lions rolled past the Arizona Cardinals, 45-21, in Glendale. Detroit had already built a 24-7 lead when Brissett launched one last attempt before halftime, but Abney closed the door instead, turning the play into a defining moment in a lopsided win that moved the NFC North team to 3-2.
For Abney, the pick was a milestone, but not a new trick. Less than a year ago, he intercepted a pass for ASU in its 2025 win over West Virginia in Tempe. Over three seasons with the Sun Devils, he finished with six interceptions, including three during ASU’s 2024 conference championship season.
That college production helped make “K1” a fifth-round selection by Detroit in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Against the Cardinals, Abney did more than just grab the ball. He finished with six tackles, five of them solo, along with one pass deflection. He did it 27 miles west of his alma mater, in the state where he built plenty of his résumé before reaching the NFL.
He’s also part of a small Arizona State presence around the league. Abney is one of 11 ASU alumni currently on an NFL roster and one of just three on defense.
LB Keyshaun Elliot is with the Chicago Bears, and CB Jack Jones is with the San Francisco 49ers. Among that trio, Abney has been the busiest and most productive through Week 5, leading them in tackles and standing alone with an interception.
His snap count had been modest before Sunday. In three games, he had totaled just two tackles. His six against Arizona pushed him to eight on the season.
The Lions had been expecting more from the rookie, and Dan Campbell said as much during the week. “I think Abney will probably help us out a little bit more here this week. So will (Jalen) Mills, I can see both those guys taking on a bigger role,” Campbell said on Wednesday.
Campbell has been high on Abney since training camp, too. “He's pretty headsy for a rookie," Campbell said in August.
"Nickel position is not the easiest. He'll do exactly what you tell him to do.
You give him one of the finer details and man, he does it. He hits his landmarks in zone drops.
That's always gonna give you a chance.”
On Sunday, Abney gave Detroit exactly that: a chance to keep rolling, and a takeaway to remember. The Lions now head into their bye before a divisional matchup with the Green Bay Packers, and Abney’s role could be on the rise.
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