Packers’ playmaker gives Aaron Rodgers something he’s never … – AtoZ Sports
The Green Bay Packers had a feeling that Keisean Nixon was going to be a big part of their 2022 plans when they signed him back in March.
And sure enough, they were correct.
Nixon has emerged as one of the league’s better kick returners over the course of the last 7-8 weeks. Since Week 9, Nixon leads the league with 613 kick return yards on 23 attempts, which is also a league-high. Nixon’s 26.7 yards per kick return is good for seventh-best among kick returners with at least eight returns in 2022, which includes 27 qualified players, per Pro Football Reference.
The fourth-year veteran has recently shown some teeth when it comes to punt returns, as well. Nixon amassed 56-yards on four punt returns (14 yards per punt return) coming into Sunday night’s matchup with the Los Angeles Rams and he continued to show off his skills as he returned two more punts for 36-yards. His first punt return against the Rams went for 19-yards and gave the Packers the ball at their own 32 instead of their own 13.
Sunday night’s performance bumped Nixon’s average to 15.3 yards per punt return, which is currently the fourth-best mark among returners with at least six returns since Week 10.
Opposing teams are noticing, too. It didn’t take long for the Rams and their kicker, Matt Gay, to alter course after Nixon’s 49-yard kick return in the second quarter. Gay came out of halftime and intentionally avoided Nixon, which resulted in the Packers starting at their own 32.
Avoiding dynamic kick returners is a common practice in the NFL. However, it’s not something Aaron Rodgers is used to and he even admitted as much after the Packers’ 24-12 win.
“I want to highlight this point – I said it in the locker room because it’s pretty amazing,” said Rodgers. “When we were talking about milestones and Mason and his 255th straight game, which is incredible, but in all my 18 years, I’ve never once, until tonight, seen an opposing team’s kicker kick away from one of our returners on purpose. That’s fun. That’s pretty incredible.
“Big kudos to [special teams coach] Rich [Bisaccia] and his staff, and obviously Keisean. He’s been a big difference-maker for us. You hate to do the what ifs and the look backs, but there’s definitely some ways that the players are playing for us, that you wonder how it would’ve been had things been a little different starting the season.”
“It’s exciting when they’re kicking off and I’m thinking, ‘Bring it, bring it out, Kei, get some yards,’” he later added.
The Packers special teams have been notoriously awful, lately, so it’s easy to see why Nixon’s production has the team ecstatic over what’s to come in the future.
“Keisean’s definitely been a difference-maker for us, and I think that was pretty evident tonight,” Matt LaFleur told reporters after the game. “Having multiple big plays on those returns, and he plays with, again, another guy that plays with the right mentality. He’s going to go for it each and every time and he’s fearless, and you guys have seen that over the course of the season.
“It’s unfortunate, and I know I’m probably going to get criticized for not playing him early, and that’s fair. We should have had him in there earlier, and we didn’t. I don’t think we knew what we had. He’s proven what he brings to the table, and I can’t say enough about what he brings to this team, as well.”
The Packers are going to need all of their playmakers to continue to produce as they continue their uphill battle for a postseason berth.
But as long as the guys continue to play like Nixon has, it’s hard to imagine the Packers’ postseason chances getting worse. Which is obviously where one would want to be if they were in Green Bay’s situation.
Featured image via Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports