Since playing the Packers in Week 1, when the Lions offense produced only 13 points and 246 yards, things have improved in Detroit. That was the team’s first game since the departure of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, now the Bears coach, and from a yardage standpoint, their meeting with the Packers remains their season low. They dipped below double-digit scoring only once this season, in a 16-9 Week 11 loss to the Eagles.

At 326 points, the Lions are No. 2 in the league in scoring, and at 4,163 yards, they’re No. 4. Their offensive numbers might not be what they were a year ago, but they’re also not the same team the Packers saw in Week 1. This is a very potent bunch.

Thus there is concern on the Packers sideline about one of the team’s key injuries: the shoulder stinger suffered by cornerback Keisean Nixon, who has been one of the team’s standouts in an improved defensive backs group this year.

Keisean Nixon Would Have Missed Packers Practice on Monday

Nixon played only 13 snaps on Sunday against the Vikings. Given the talent on the Lions’ side at wide receiver–with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams–the Packers would certainly like to have some experience there. But coach Matt LaFleur said that Thanksgiving is very much a question mark for Nixon.

The Packers did not have a live practice on Monday, but on the estimated participation chart, Nixon was listed as “did not participate.”

“I would say I think it’s more day-to-day,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think Thursday is certainly a question right now, but I wouldn’t rule him out by any stretch.”

Kamal Hadden Impressed in Packers Defensive Debut

In place of Nixon on Sunday was Kamal Hadden, a sixth-round pick of the Chiefs last year out of Tennessee. Hadden had played six games on special teams over the past two years, but Sunday marked his first action with the defense. LaFleur was impressed.

The Chiefs cut Hadden on the final day of camp in 2024, and the Packers scooped him up and have had him on the practice squad since.

“Just to see where he’s come from to where he is now, it’s totally reflective in terms of how he’s approached coming into the building on a daily basis,” he said. “He practices the right way, he approaches it the right way. I’m really proud of him.”

Keisean Nixon: ‘We Have Been Tested’

Still, losing Nixon would be tough because he has been a veteran leader for a group that has played better and better each week. At 85.0, the Packers now have the No. 2 coverage grade in the NFL at Pro Football Focus.

Before his injury, Nixon had commented on the adversity the Packers faced this season especially in tough losses to the Panthers and Eagles–and how he’d hoped the Packers had put all that behind them.

“I think we’ve been through, already, some adverse moments,” Nixon said. “Obviously, we have had some games where we had to learn from it. They resulted in Ls but that’s always a learning experience. I think this team, we have been tested in that aspect. Seeing who is gonna stay together and if we’re gonna split apart. I think we’ve done a great job of all staying together and I think that’s gonna help us in this stretch moving forward.”