When the Lions' defensive starters last Sunday were announced to another rabid flock of fans at Ford Field, hometown hero Aidan Hutchinson drew the biggest roar. After that, it was a toss-up between C.J. Gardner-Johnson and "in his first season, from Alabama, No. 32, Briannnn Branch."
"It means they believe in me," said Branch. "It shows that they respect my game. Yeah, like, I ain’t get that at Bama. For them to do that, it means a lot."
Branch has become a fan favorite in Detroit, for obvious reasons. To wit: he's everywhere. The rookie defensive back hasn't encountered a play he can't make, in coverage, on a blitz, against the run. On one of his very first snaps at Ford Field in the Lions' preseason opener, Branch hit Giants receiver Cole Beasley so hard for a two-yard loss that Beasley basically got up and retired. It would set the tone for Branch's rookie season.
He breaks up passes and chops down ball-carriers, and speaks with his pads. The Lions are making a statement themselves, one win away from their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl. After Branch had a sack, two tackles for loss and a team-high nine tackles in Detroit's win over Tampa last week, quarterback Baker Mayfield was asked if the Lions defense did anything the Bucs weren't expecting. No, said Mayfield. He just didn't know No. 32, who was injured when the two teams met earlier this season, was so damn good.
"First game we didn’t play against Branch. I think he’s a hell of a player, I’ll be honest," said Mayfield. "For a young guy, he’s a smart guy, and obviously very talented."
Mayfield's comments meant a lot to Branch, an Oklahoma fan when Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy in 2017. He even told Mayfield on the field after the game that "he was one of my favorite quarterbacks growing up."
"So for him to be able to say that, shoot, knowing that boosts my confidence. It shows what I’m capable of," said Branch. "I take pride in that."
Mayfield, who threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns against Detroit but was also picked twice and sacked four times, went on to say that the Lions are a "physical team, they run and chase after the ball, and they do a good job giving you some looks and bailing out and doing different things." Branch has come to embody this in Aaron Glenn's defense, a nickel who has a nose for the ball and a penchant for snuffing out plays in the backfield.
"He’s tough, he’s gritty, he’s very knowledgeable," Glenn said last week. "He does a good job at that nickel spot of understanding exactly how he has to disguise to put himself in position to go make plays. ... His ability to cover receivers is pretty damn good also. The thing is, he ran this whatever (40) time at the Combine and when you watch him cover guys, you can never tell that because he’s sticky.”
Branch made one of the biggest plays in the Lions' wild-card win over the Rams. With the Rams facing third and goal from the six on their first drive of the night, Branch came tearing into Matthew Stafford's face on a blitz and knocked down a pass to force a field goal. The Lions would win by one.
Whether he's gunning for quarterbacks or receivers, Branch's closing speed is elite. This is why Glenn scoffs at the fact that Branch clocked the second-slowest 40-yard dash at the combine among corners, which is surely one of the reasons that he slid into the second round and fell into the Lions' lap at No. 45 overall. It was clear as soon as he showed up back in the spring that he would thrive in the NFL.
Branch wound up finishing first among rookie DB's in tackles, defensive stops and quarterback pressures and second in pass-breakups, per Pro Football Focus. He allowed a passer rating in coverage of 86.8, despite locking horns with some of the best slot receivers in the game and often picking up running backs out of the backfield and even tight ends over the middle.
When the Lions lost Branch to an ankle injury for a couple games this season, Dan Campbell admitted that it handcuffed them defensively. He does so many things that his absence was felt in so many places. Campbell and Glenn often compare him to C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who they groomed as a nickel in New Orleans before unleashing him as more of a safety with each season.
With Gardner-Johnson back in Detroit's lineup after missing most of the year with a torn pec, Glenn has been dialing up more blitzes from the secondary. Branch and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu have combined for 6.5 sacks and 15 quarterback pressures over the last six games, which has been huge for a defense that's struggled to get after the passer all season. Campbell said the Lions are "willing to give up something to get something," trading extra help on receivers for more pressure on the quarterback. One extra sack -- one extra pressure -- can change an entire game.
"AG’s been putting us in a lot of great situations, sending us, knowing that that’s our strong suit in a way," said Branch. "He loves to attack quarterbacks, so shoot, we love to attack. He gives us the opportunity and we just try to fulfill those opportunities."
Branch has been a difference-maker for the Lions all season, starting with his pick-six of Patrick Mahomes on opening night. Asked if he's starting to show the full breadth of what he can do in the NFL, he smiled and said, "In a way."
"I still have a lot of stuff I have to work on because I feel like there’s a lot more plays that I could be making out there," he said. "But I’m starting to, you know, gather myself and really translate what I did in college, or trying to."
It calls to mind Branch's reaction to his dominant performance against the Falcons back in Week 3. He was the best defensive player on the field that day, but he walked away from the game thinking about the one tackle he missed.
"Just like last game when we played the Bucs," said Branch. "My alignment on certain stuff, I could have had probably another sack if I was aligned properly. It's the little things like that I gotta fix in my game that I’m trying to hone in on right now."
Branch will be vital for the Lions on Sunday. He's one of their answers for the most explosive offense in the NFL. The 49ers led the league this season in yards per play, with more weapons than any defense can account for. In the locker room on Wednesday, Branch chatted for several minutes with Lions backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld, who was with the Niners in 2021.
He peppered Sudfeld with questions about Kyle Shanahan's offense, which features lots of pre-snap motion. He asked about running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle. And receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. And quarterback Brock Purdy. Branch, at some point, will encounter all of them. He has the speed, physicality and instincts to keep up. After sufficiently picking Sudfeld's brain, Branch grabbed his iPad to watch more film.
"They got guys over there," he said. "I think people always sleep on Aiyuk, very talented receiver. Purdy’s playing good, McCaffrey is generational. They do a lot of stuff on the offensive end, but it’s not stuff that we haven’t seen before. That will be our biggest challenge, how are we going to react to the stuff they throw at us? After the first quarter, because they go on script in the first quarter, I feel like once we’re able to stop that, shoot, it’s gonna be our game. We're trying to show them who we are."
Branch, 22, probably won't sleep Saturday night. He usually can't the night before games. For all the big stages he played on in college, including two national championships, he said these NFL playoff games are unlike anything else: "The games that I played at Bama don’t compare, especially playing at Ford Field, the atmosphere and the fans, loud and electric." For Branch, it typically takes "the first tackle or the first play to get the jitters out."
From his first tackle in the NFL, Branch has been making noise. So have the fans for him. He would only add, you haven't heard from him yet.