Cheese Curds, 12/21: Keisean Nixon’s streak underscores the need to keep him for 2023

It’s no secret by now that Keisean Nixon has become a game-changing player for the Green Bay Packers. In addition to playing all 45 defensive snaps in Monday night’s game as the team’s nickel cornerback, Nixon added 131 yards combined on kickoff and punt returns.

Nixon’s emergence as a dynamic return man has come as a surprise to both Packers fans and the team’s coaching staff, as head coach Matt LaFleur joked that the team “didn’t really know what we had” earlier in the season. What they have now is a player who has exceeded the century mark in combined return yardage in five consecutive games, a remarkable streak that has not been matched in over a decade.

In fact, according to our own Justis Mosqueda’s research, that streak is the longest by any NFL player since 2010, and it appears to be tied with Roell Preston for the longest in Packers history. That puts some perspective on just how ridiculous Nixon’s stretch has been.

The Packers will have a decision to make on Nixon this offseason, as he signed just a one-year contract for 2022 when coming over from the Las Vegas Raiders. Given the impact he has provided on returns and his largely solid play on defense, Green Bay’s front office should make retaining him a priority for 2023.

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Nixon’s impact really can’t be overstated. You have to go all the way back to Steve Odom in 1975 to find a player with more than 100 return yards in even four consecutive games.

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