Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon has played in 93 career games, but his defensive performance in Thursday’s 27-18 win over the Washington Commanders was easily the best of his seven seasons in the NFL.
The kick return specialist turned No. 1 outside corner totaled a career-high five pass breakups in 69 defensive snaps. For perspective, Nixon played 1,018 snaps across all 17 games (15 starts) last season and broke up only seven passes total.
Coincidentally, the last Packers player to break up five passes in a game is the one Nixon has been tasked with replacing. Some may recall Jaire Alexander’s incredible game as a rookie against the Los Angeles Rams, where anything against his coverage was a no-fly zone.
Nixon’s performance was eerily similar. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is one of the best young quarterbacks in the game, but there was very little he could do against Green Bay’s defense. He had one of his worst games as a pro, completing just 57 percent of passes and finishing with a quarterback rating of 26.9. Playing from behind for the entirety of the game, Washington had no choice but to keep airing it out. However, every time Daniels tested Nixon, the corner’s ball skills prevailed.
Pro Football Focus gave Nixon an elite defense grade of 90.7 and a coverage grade of 90.8—both career highs. The stats speak for themselves, but don’t tell the whole story. Let’s look at the film and how Nixon was able to get his hands on so many passes
Nixon is in off-coverage against a wide receiver in Noah Brown with a clear size advantage. Nixon is listed at 5-10, 200 pounds, to Brown’s 6-2, 225. It’s 3rd and 9, so the Commanders need a big completion. Brown runs an outbreaker where he gets super physical with Nixon at the top of the route. Nixon does a nice job of playing through the contact to even force a contested catch. Except Nixon does one better and shoots his hand in late to knock the ball loose and force a fourth down and a punt—exceptional play.
Here, Nixon is in off-coverage again and shows off his vision and reaction speed to break up a hitch route. Nixon is reading this the whole way.
Next, the Commanders try to catch Nixon sitting on the route, so they run a double-move at him. The receiver does a solid job of selling it, but Nixon reads and reacts while using his hands to stay in-phase. He transitions to trail technique and then once again uses his hands to disrupt the catch point.
It’s 4th-and-4 late in the game, so the Packers are getting aggressive in press-man. Nixon is one-on-one against Jaylin Lane, a fourth-round rookie with 4.3 speed. Lane jabs his outside foot to the outside before pushing back inside, but Nixon throws a jam with his inside hand and shuffles his feet to mirror the route. Using his hands and footwork, Nixon is able to limit any separation and then fights over the receiver’s back to break up the pass. It was a very physical rep by Nixon, but nothing was called.
The last rep is another good example of Nixon’s technique. He starts in a smooth backpedal, shuffles his feet, and then accelerates once he recognizes the ball is coming to his man on a dig route. Again, Nixon closes the distance and plays through the receiver to get his hand on another pass. Another textbook rep.
Conclusion
Coming into the season, there was a lot of uncertainty around Green Bay’s cornerback room and whether they had the pieces in place to be an elite defense. Through the first weeks, you’d be hard-pressed to find another defense played as well as the Packers, and Nixon is holding his own as their top outside corner.
His performance against Washington was impressive for many reasons. It wasn’t like Nixon was strictly in off coverage reacting to what was in front of him. No, he forced incompletions in zone, press man, and down the field with his back to the quarterback.
You can tell Nixon has worked very hard on his craft. His technique looks rock solid, and his confidence continues to grow. If he can continue to play at a high level, he will be a key player on what appears to be a championship-caliber defense.   Â
#Keisean #Nixon #delivers #career #performance #Commanders