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The Detroit Lions will be without one of their key defensive pieces for the remainder of Sunday’s contest against the Green Bay Packers.
Defensive back Brian Branch was ejected from the game after making a helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers’ wide receiver Bo Melton. The call came from the review center in New York rather than the officials on the field.
A clearly frustrated Branch also picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for giving the middle finger to the Green Bay crowd as he walked off the field.
Senior Vice President of Officiating Perry Fewell explained the ejection after the game, via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:
The hit on Melton initially warranted an unnecessary roughness penalty from the officials, but moments later the league offices advised the referee to kick Branch out of the remainder of the contest.
Branch had a pair of tackles before he was ejected from Sunday’s game. The second-year player out of Alabama had 38 tackles, one forced fumble and a career-high four interceptions coming into the matchup, putting together a solid season after a strong rookie campaign a year ago.
With Branch out, the Lions will look to Brandon Joseph in the secondary to fill in for him. Detroit will also need big games from Kerby Joseph, Terrion Arnold and Carlton Davis.
Later in the second quarter following Branch’s ejection, Kerby Joseph recorded a pick-six to give Detroit a 17-3 lead in the waning moments of the first half, a good sign that the Lions’ defense will manage without Branch.
After an early loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, the Lions have emerged as one of the best teams in the NFL, winning their last five games, a handful of those wins coming in blowout fashion.
The 6-2 Packers are in second place in the NFC North, just behind Detroit and just ahead of the Minnesota Vikings, and are looking to take over the top spot with a big win against the Lions.
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