The Detroit Lions kept their playoff hopes alive with a 44-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, but their path forward got a bit more complicated after tests Friday revealed that standout safety Brian Branch suffered a tear in his Achilles, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Branch, in his third NFL season, has established himself as one of the top defensive backs in football and was a pivotal part of a Lions secondary already battling through the loss of Kerby Joseph, who has missed the last seven games due to a knee injury.
Branch went down with 3:45 left in the fourth quarter on Thursday night as he and linebacker Alex Anzalone defended a pass in the end zone. He was able to limp off the field but had to be carted back to the locker room.
In his postgame press conference, Lions coach Dan Campbell did not have an update, saying he'd know more on Friday.
Now, it seems as though the news is not very good for a team that is fighting to rise into a playoff spot.
The Lions are currently 8-5, a game behind the San Francisco 49ers for the final spot in the NFC bracket. With an enormous Sunday Night Football test against former Detroit fan favorite Matthew Stafford and the Rams looming, Campbell must figure out a way to deal with Branch's absence.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lions Get Bad News on Brian Branch's Injury.
