Lions' Brian Branch Ejected for Dirty Helmet-to-Helmet Hit on Packers' Bo Melton

Branch was tossed after a high, late hit on Packers receiver Bo Melton .
Brian Branch gets ejected
Brian Branch gets ejected / NFL on FO

The Detroit Lions lost a big part of their defense less than two quarters into their huge divisional clash against the Green Bay Packers.

With about six minutes to go before halftime, safety Brian Branch was ejected for a late helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers wideout Bo Melton. It was a dirty play that was initially flagged for the high hit on a defenseless receiver, but the league office in New York decided it was enough to warrant an ejection.

Here's the play and an explanation of the sequence.

It's a tough loss for the Lions. Branch is a key part of their secondary and what the team tries to do defensively. What's more, Green Bay is right behind Detroit in the NFC North standings and this is a game that will likely have significant playoff implications.

The Lions led the Packers, 7-3, at the time of Branch's ejection.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.