Brian Branch, the hard-hitting, dynamic safety known for his on-field presence, left the Lions’ Thursday Night Football game against the Green Bay Packers.
Branch was experiencing calf cramps and was listed as questionable to return.
The Lions are already heavily impacted by injuries on defense, with numerous players sidelined before the game. Additionally, star defensive tackle Alim McNeill left the game with a head injury and was ruled out by halftime.
Earlier, Detroit ruled out left tackle Taylor Decker and defensive linemen DJ Reader, Josh Paschal, and Levi Onwuzurike. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley was added to the pregame inactive list alongside offensive linemen Kayode Awosika and Giovanni Manu.
Decker missed his second consecutive game with a knee injury, while the three defensive linemen joined the team’s growing list of injured defenders.
Heading into Thursday, Detroit was already missing 12 defenders in the front seven: Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Paschal, Reader, Onwuzurike, John Cominsky, Mekhi Wingo, Kyle Peko, Derrick Barnes, Alex Anzalone, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and Malcolm Rodriguez. Reader, Paschal, and Onwuzurike, injured in last week’s win over the Bears, are the only ones not yet on injured reserve.
