Brian Branch is back in the mix for Detroit, and the timing could hardly be better for a Lions defense getting ready to face Jordan Love and the Packers.
The Lions officially activated Branch from Reserve/PUP on the eve of Week 7, making him eligible to play in an NFC North matchup with Green Bay. Detroit has been waiting a long time for its top secondary playmaker, and Dan Campbell’s defense now gets him back just as the schedule turns divisional.
Branch last played on Dec. 4, 2025, and his absence left a real hole. The 25-year-old appeared in both Packers-Lions games last season and finished those two meetings with 15 combined tackles, a reminder that Green Bay has already seen how disruptive he can be.
His third NFL season ended after 12 games, but not before he piled up 75 tackles. That topped the 74 he had as a rookie over 15 games, and it came on the heels of a 2024 season in which he posted 109 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. The growth has been steady, and Detroit has missed that kind of production on the back end.
Now Branch is expected to return after 324 days away, and the Packers have to account for him immediately. Detroit’s defense has had its struggles without him, but the Lions are bringing him back fresh off a bye and into a game they need to handle.
This will be Detroit’s first divisional game of the season, and it comes with the Lions back at home for the first time since Sept. 27, when they beat the New York Jets, 31-24. They are 2-0 at home this year, though both wins were tight - by a combined eight points, with one decided in overtime.
That sets up a tough ask for Green Bay. Love has never been shy about attacking downfield, and the Packers’ receiving tandem of Christian Watson and Matthew Golden gives him options to test Detroit vertically. But with Branch back in the lineup, the Lions have the kind of defender who can punish that gamble fast.
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