{"id":1003048,"date":"2026-09-17T07:03:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T07:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/1003048\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T07:03:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T07:03:17","slug":"starting-the-packers-opener-as-hed-predicted-keisean-nixon-delivered-one-of-his-most-complete-games-then-an-i-told-you-so-top-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/1003048\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting the Packers\u2019 opener as he\u2019d predicted, Keisean Nixon delivered \u2018one of his most complete games\u2019 \u2014 then an I-told-you-so | Top Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

GREEN BAY \u2014 Keisean Nixon delivered his I-told-you-so on Wednesday afternoon with his typical colorful language and unrelenting confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And given how he played in Sunday\u2019s 39-22 season-opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers veteran cornerback had<\/p>\n

A month earlier, Nixon had made headlines \u2014 to the point that even head coach Matt LaFleur joked about it<\/a> \u2014 by saying he thought he was being \u201cpunished\u201d by the coaches, who had him working primarily with the No. 1 defense but also had him with the No. 2s and No. 3s during a handful of practices.<\/p>\n

The coaches chalked up Nixon\u2019s work with the non-starters as merely \u201ccompetition,\u201d which only fueled more questions about how Nixon\u2019s felt about his quasi-demotion.<\/p>\n

And so, on Aug. 16, Nixon found himself surrounded by a gaggle of reporters at his locker, where he uttered his infamous \u201cpunished\u201d line<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But that day, he also said something else.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m competing with myself at the end of the day. However [the coaches] want to put it in the media \u2014 \u2018competition\u2019 and all that \u2014 hey, that’s out of my control,\u201d Nixon said then.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll just see Week 1 what will happen. I’m here to play ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did exactly that, as he\u2019d promised he would<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Starting and playing all 65 defensive snaps, Nixon had an interception, a half-sack, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits on blitz pressures, a pass breakup and five tackles. He also finished the game without having committed a penalty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought he played extremely well. I mean he impacted the run game, the pass game, his point of attack [play] was very good. And he had some tough downs in there,\u201d new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said. \u201cI thought he did a really good job. I was very proud of Keisean and how he played.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added LaFleur: \u201cI just\u00a0loved how he competed, and it was down in and down out. There still were some tough competitive catches that were made on him, but he was there in coverage in a good position, and sometimes that’s just how life is in the NFL. But I thought he had one of his most complete games, I would say, in my time here.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that complete-game performance had Nixon reminding a small group of reporters Wednesday of his words that fateful day in camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Week 1 came around, where was I?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In the starting lineup, came the reply.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all that f\u2014\u2014 matters,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cCamp is camp. They\u2019ve got to see other people get reps and stuff like that. However they felt about me during camp is irrelevant. I told y\u2019all I\u2019d be out there Week 1 and that\u2019s just what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while Nixon acknowledged that it was important for him to respond to the coaches\u2019 challenge, he also insisted that he wasn\u2019t any more motivated than he would have been anyway \u2014 be it because of what happened in training camp or the Packers\u2019 selection of Brandon Cisse with their top pick back in April. (Nixon also happens to be in a contract year and the Packers have shown no interest in extending him<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of things don\u2019t affect me,\u201d he said Wednesday. \u201cI still came with the same process \u2014 still getting in the building at 6:30 am, stacking days. I can\u2019t control how they feel or how they felt during training camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey drafted a guy young. They wanted him to play and he deserves it. They had to see what everybody else can do. [I] kind of figured they knew what I could do.<\/p>\n

\u201c[We have a] new DC; [you\u2019ve] always got to prove yourself to new people. But I\u2019ve lasted [through] three of them, so I\u2019m not really worried about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

One game does not a season make, of course, but given how Gannon blitzed and deployed Nixon against the Vikings, he clearly sees Nixon as a versatile piece he can use.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like how he uses me. He\u2019d been telling me how he\u2019s going to use me all camp,\u201d Nixon said. \u201cEverybody always worries about the wrong [expletive]. Football is football. I play football. I like how he uses me. I like the defensive scheme.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like feeling involved in the game. [He] kept me involved at all times and didn\u2019t let me get bored.\u201d<\/p>\n

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