Brian Branch didn’t need long to remind the Lions what they’ve been missing.
Back in the lineup for the first time after his Achilles injury, Branch showed up in a big way during Detroit’s 20-17 Week 7 win over the Green Bay Packers. He finished with several important tackles in space and picked off a Jordan Love moonball that plenty of his replacements likely wouldn’t have turned into a takeaway. Even beyond the interception, he was sharp in coverage.
That kind of impact is exactly why Branch matters so much to this defense. He may not be the league’s top defensive player, but few players mean more to their unit.
Without him, even the league’s weakest offenses were finding room to work against Detroit. With him on the field, the Lions look like a much more complete team.
His return matters even more because the safety group has been thinned out badly. Kerby Joseph’s ailments are serious enough that his short-term future is in doubt, and the Lions have already been forced to live without that Branch-Joseph pairing. That duo was supposed to help cover for a shaky cornerback room, but injuries have knocked both pieces out of commission.
Branch’s versatility and instincts had been one of the few answers in a secondary that also lost Terrion Arnold before the season. With poor defensive coaching and a back end that has been forced to piece things together, Dan Campbell’s defense has spent most of the year scrambling. Branch doesn’t solve everything, but he gives it a much-needed anchor.
That was on display against Green Bay. The Packers have put together a surprisingly solid passing attack despite a miserable run game and a pile of offensive line injuries, yet they were held to 17 points. Branch was a major reason why.
Detroit’s offense is still rolling, with Jared Goff throwing for at least 200 yards and one passing touchdown without an interception in each of his first six games this season. But the Lions also know from the 2022 season that they can’t keep winning games 41-38 and expect that formula to hold up in a championship chase.
There have been encouraging signs elsewhere. The Aidan Hutchinson-led defensive line has flashed beyond what its talent level might suggest, and the Jack Campbell-led linebacker group has taken a clear step forward after a rough start. Still, simply avoiding a reliance on practice squad safeties changes the entire feel of this defense, and Branch’s return gives Detroit a better chance to adjust its approach against top opponents.
With cap space limited in the years ahead, the Lions have to be careful with how they spend. If Branch keeps swinging games on this level, the path forward gets pretty straightforward: give him the long-term deal he has been wanting.
In Other News...
Lions Suddenly Face A Bigger NFC Test Than The Standings Show
After seven weeks, the NFC picture has tightened into something that looks less like a division race and more like a weekly survival test. The Vikings are still unbeaten at the top of the North, while the Bears, Lions and Packers all sit in playoff position, and even Seattle is lurking just outside the bracket. For Detroit, the margin for error is already thin enough that every divisional result can change how the standings feel from one Sunday to the next.
What makes the next stretch especially tricky is how little room there is to separate contenders from pretenders. The Lions are in the mix, but the path ahead runs through a conference that keeps stacking competent teams on top of one another, with upcoming games set to shape not just the North but the broader NFC race. And when Detroit gets its next crack at Minnesota, it will be facing a team that has been suffocating opponents defensively, which only raises the stakes of every possession before that matchup even arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Got A Huge Late-Game Break From An Unexpected Defender
Late in the fourth quarter, the Lions got a break from an unlikely place when defensive tackle DJ Wonnum got a hand on Green Bay kicker Trey Smacks 35-yard field-goal attempt. The deflection helped send the kick wide and kept the game tied in a tense finish that was hanging on every snap.
It was the kind of play that can disappear in the blur of a close game, and even some Lions teammates did not realize Wonnum had made the difference until after it was over. Detroit ultimately walked away with a 20-17 win, and the late stop loomed large because it prevented the Packers from taking the lead when the pressure was at its highest. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Got The Injury Reassurance Fans Wanted After Packers Win
The Lions left Lambeau with a win and, as often happens after a physical NFC North game, a little injury cleanup on the side. Dan Campbell said after Week 7 that Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ennis Rakestraw came out with minor issues, the kind of postgame concern that tends to linger only long enough to make everyone hold their breath before the next week begins.
For Detroit, the encouraging part is the timing. Neither player is expected to miss the upcoming matchup with the Vikings, even if one or both sits out a practice day along the way, and the Lions have enough depth to absorb a short absence if needed. Rakestraw had a role against Green Bay, logging 31 percent of the defensive snaps, and the message around the injury report is that this looks more like a brief inconvenience than a real setback. [Read more 🡒]