The Green Bay Packers watched a 12-point second-half lead disappear in their season opener, but Keisean Nixon is not treating one rough finish as a forecast for the rest of 2026.
After Green Bay’s 39-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Nixon sent a message about the import he places on an 0-1 start.
FOX 11’s Vince Lovergine shared Nixon’s comments on Sept. 16, three days after the Packers surrendered 29 consecutive points to close the game.
“It’s one game. Week 1 never defines you towards the end of the season,” Nixon said. “That doesn’t really matter, it’s irrelevant. Half of the NFL is 0-1 right now, you really can’t control that.”
For a Packers team that entered the year with postseason expectations, the response matters as much as the frustration. Green Bay does not have time to dwell on Minnesota, with another road game against the New York Jets coming Sunday.
Nixon Calls Week 1 ‘Irrelevant’
Nixon’s confidence comes after a strange opener in which Green Bay produced enough offense to win and still lost by 17 points.
The Packers finished with 419 total yards, while the Vikings had 239, via the team’s official game center. Green Bay also committed 12 penalties for 98 yards, compared with three penalties for 15 yards by Minnesota.
The fourth quarter was where the game cracked open. Green Bay led 22-17 before a failed fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak gave Minnesota the ball back. Three defensive penalties then erased third-down stops during the Vikings’ go-ahead drive, via Packers.com’s game notes. Minnesota went on to score touchdowns after a Jordan Love fumble and interception, turning a close game into a lopsided final score.
Nixon was one of Green Bay’s more productive defenders in the loss. NFL.com credited him with five total tackles, a half-sack, one pass defense and an interception. He also delivered a more critical assessment immediately after the game, telling Packers.com, “Can’t leave it in the ref’s hands. And that’s just what we did.”
Those two messages can coexist. Nixon is brushing aside the idea that one result defines the season while acknowledging the Packers created many of their own problems in Minnesota.
Packers Have Quick Chance to Change the Tone
Nixon has a career that carries influence in Green Bay’s locker room. He was an AP first-team All-Pro kick returner in both 2022 and 2023 and made his first Pro Bowl after the 2025 season, per his Packers biography. His role has also expanded far beyond special teams. He started all 17 games in 2025 and has become a fixture in Green Bay’s secondary.
Now the Packers need the reset Nixon described to show up on the field.
Green Bay visits the Jets on Sept. 20 at MetLife Stadium before returning home four days later to face the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. That gives the Packers two games in five days to move past an opener that got away quickly.
The encouraging part from Week 1 was that Green Bay moved the ball and held a double-digit lead into the second half. The concern was how rapidly the game unraveled once momentum shifted. Penalties, turnovers and a stalled short-yardage attempt all contributed to the collapse.
Nixon’s “irrelevant” message is essentially a challenge for the Packers to prove Week 1 was an isolated stumble. At 0-1, there is plenty of season left. The next two games will offer a fast indication of how well Green Bay can turn the page.
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