Brian Branch Is Back, and the Lions Secondary Just Got Its Edge Again

Lions fans, you heard it at Ford Field on Sunday. Brian Branch went up, took the ball away in the fourth quarter, and the building got as loud as it's been all year.

Our Take: Branch back on the field changes what this secondary can be. He isn't all the way back from the rust yet, and that's the exciting part.

Here's what we know. Branch played his first game since tearing his Achilles in Week 14 of last season. CBS Sports, via RotoWire, reports he was on the field for 45 of the Lions' 67 defensive snaps, with four tackles and an interception early in the fourth quarter of the 20-17 win. The same report notes Detroit's defense ranks last in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game, which is exactly why his return matters.

DetroitLions.com reports the coaches kept Branch on a pitch count, and he said he knew he was ready about three weeks ago when he made plays on the scout team against Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. "That kind of gave me like, 'I still got it,'" Branch said. Dan Campbell added that Branch is "not even fully back yet" and will get better with every rep.

What to watch: whether the pitch count comes off this week, and whether the pass defense numbers start to move with Branch roaming again. Detroit stays home for another NFC North game.

Sources: DetroitLions.com, CBS Sports