The Detroit Lions walked away with a hard-fought win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, but the celebration was tempered by a potentially significant injury to one of their rising defensive stars.
Late in the fourth quarter, safety Brian Branch was forced out of the game with an ankle injury that required him to be carted to the locker room. He’d already looked a bit shaken up earlier in the contest but managed to stay on the field-until he couldn’t.
After the game, head coach Dan Campbell didn’t have much to offer in terms of clarity. “Yeah, I mean, he didn’t finish the game,” Campbell said.
“But there again, I’ll know more tomorrow.” That’s not exactly reassuring, especially considering what we saw postgame.
Inside the locker room, Branch was spotted in a walking boot and on crutches-a combination no team wants to see in December. That visual alone suggests the injury could be more than just a tweak. And while we’re still waiting on an official diagnosis, the early signs point toward something that could sideline him for a stretch.
Best-case scenario? It’s a low-ankle sprain, which might mean a week or two on the shelf.
But if it’s a high-ankle sprain-something that’s always a concern with this kind of mechanism-it could be a four-to-six-week absence. That would push his return dangerously close to playoff time, assuming the Lions keep their postseason trajectory.
Branch’s potential absence adds to a growing list of concerns in Detroit’s secondary. Kerby Joseph has already missed extended time with a knee injury, and now Thomas Harper is in concussion protocol after leaving Thursday night’s game early. That’s three safeties dealing with injuries at a time when the Lions are trying to solidify their playoff positioning and build momentum for January.
The Lions have leaned heavily on Branch’s versatility and physicality all season. He’s been a tone-setter on the back end, the kind of player who flies around the field and makes life miserable for opposing offenses. Losing him, even for a few weeks, would be a serious blow-not just in terms of production, but also in leadership and energy.
We’ll know more once Friday’s evaluations come through, but for now, the Lions are holding their breath. The win over Dallas was big. But what happens next with Branch could be even bigger.