'He’s our tone-setter:' Brian Branch reminds Lions what they were missing

For one day, Dan Campbell was happy to have this problem. He won't have it for much longer. When Brian Branch is healthy, "he wants to go," said Campbell.

"Really, the hard thing was managing him in the first half. He was all over me early and I said, 'Listen, we just gotta be smart, see where you're at.' And once we got into halftime, it felt like, we're good here," Campbell said after Branch's season debut.

Branch played just 14 snaps in the first two quarters Sunday against the Packers, and was in Campbell's ear frequently on the sideline, "just telling him when I get out there, my adrenaline's going, so I'm ready to go." He knew he was on a pitch count, but I "didn't like it," said Branch, which is one of the many reasons that Campbell loves him.

"Everybody loves BB because he's a great teammate and he's a productive football player, man. He just can find the ball. He's got a nose for it. And not only that, he knocked out some of those runs. He's just a heck of a football player."

On one of his first snaps of the game, Branch lined up in the box and snuffed out a run by Josh Jacobs with Aidan Hutchinson. On the next play, he lined up in the slot one on one against Christian Watson and ran with him in coverage. On the play after that, he lined up in the deep part of the field next to Keith Abney.

And while Branch appeared to be drawn out of position on the latter play on a slant to Savion Williams -- he would lament a couple rusty mental errors after the Lions' win -- here in three snaps was his immeasurable value to Detroit's defense: a linebacker, a nickel and a safety rolled into one.

"You just know what you’re going to get out of him," said Derrick Barnes. "You know he’s going to be in the right spot and do his job. He’s a guy you can trust in the backend, and all the other guys that’s out there with him, I know they love to him back, too. He’s a different breed. He just brings a lot to this defense. We can do a lot of things with him out there on defense as far as pressures, coverages, show different things. He’s one of the key players to this defense, for sure."

The reins came off after halftime. With the Lions in a back-and-forth battle with the Packers, Branch played more than twice as many snaps as he did in the first half. On one run play, he flashed through Barnes' peripheral vision in such a blur that Barnes was legitimately confused: "I thought he was running with a turbo. He was really just running super fast through his gap. That’s just who he is."

"Fast, violent, physical," said Barnes.

The Lions couldn't afford to let Josh Jacobs get going on the ground, in his own season debut. Branch helped the defense hold the Packers to 3.2 yards per carry. And 11 months after tearing his Achilles, Branch is "not even fully back yet, as far as, just the rust," said Campbell. "He's healthy. Every rep he'll take, he's going to get better and better."

On third down in the third quarter, Branch lined up on the outside shoulder of Aidan Hutchinson, looped inside on a blitz and barreled over Josh Jacobs, in case you were wondering about his burst. Along with a strong rush up the gut by Derrick Moore, the pressure forced Jordan Love into an incomplete deep shot to Matthew Golden.

Green Bay's next drive ended on another failed deep ball. This one ended up in the hands of Branch, who figured Love was going to air it out on third and long from his own end zone. He backed up before the snap, tracked it the whole way and won in the air against the 6'4 Christian Watson, who had a step on the corner. The fans erupted.

Aidan Hutchinson, who knows what it's like to return from a devastating injury, said it might have been "the most lit I've ever seen Ford Field. That’s special for him, man. I can understand, a long offseason of rehab and coming back and having a big play like that, that really changed the game, I'm so happy for BB."

"When the ball is in the air going deep and I look up and see No. 32 back there," said Barnes, "I’m 99.9 percent sure that it’s going to be his ball every time. Because I’ve witnessed it multiple times. He’s a ballhawk. And he’s going to come down and hit ... He’s a phenomenal player to have back for this team, for this defense."

Branch covered just about everyone in the Packers' passing game. The Lions were the first team this season to keep Watson and Golden under 100 yards combined and out of the end zone. On 3rd and 5 after the Lions turned it over on downs deep in their own territory with about five minutes to play, Branch was one-on-one with tight end Tucker Kraft to the wide part of the field. The ball didn't come his way, but it was a matchup the Lions trusted Branch to win.

The Packers' offense is built on the deep ball. The Lions "knew this game was going to come down, in a way, to how the DBs play," said Branch. With Branch back on the field, they played better than they have all year. It might not be saying much in the scope of the season, but on this day, against this opponent, it said a lot. The Lions held the opponent under 20 points for the first time this season, and their offense did enough at the end to make it count.

Maybe, with Branch's broad shoulders, the defense can start to carry its weight.

"We shouldn't expect the offense to score 31 points every game," Branch said. "I think we're a very good defense when we all lock in, and tonight we showed a little bit of that. But I feel like we can do better. When we're on the field, it's always, get the ball back to the offense."

Branch wound up logging 45 snaps, or two-thirds of the defensive workload, and was one of the game's highest-graded players by PFF. He would have played all 67 snaps if given the chance. He thanked the coaches, in the end, for being "smart and looking out for me.” They'll likely remove the reins entirely next Sunday against the Vikings, in another pivotal division clash.

Branch said he was "more anxious than nervous" in the lead-up to his return. He was mostly just grateful to be back on the field, laying it on the line with his teammates. And boy were the Lions grateful to have him.

"Dude," said Hutchinson, "he’s our tone-setter. That’s his X-factor right there: he can change a game by making a hit, forcing a fumble, making a big splash play like (the pick)."

Branch doesn't say a whole lot, especially about himself. His impact speaks for itself. It was evident in the Lions' biggest win of the year, even as he played less than normal. Tyleik Williams smiled and said, "Y'all see it. Flying around. Interception. We needed him back. I'm glad he's out there."